Atlantic Ocean

American  

[at-lan-tik oh-shuhn] / ætˈlæn tɪk ˈoʊ ʃən /

Often the Atlantic

noun

1. an ocean bounded by North America and South America in the Western Hemisphere and by Europe and Africa in the Eastern Hemisphere, with its deepest section in the Puerto Rico Trench: divided by the equator into the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean. 32,870,000 square miles (85,133,000 square kilometers).

---

Atlantic Ocean British  

noun

1. the world's second largest ocean, bounded in the north by the Arctic, in the south by the Antarctic, in the west by North and South America, and in the east by Europe and Africa. Greatest depth: 9220 m (30 246 ft). Area: about 81 585 000 sq km (31 500 000 sq miles)

---

Atlantic Ocean Cultural  

1. Second-largest ocean in the world, separating North America and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east.

---

Etymology

Origin of Atlantic Ocean

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Scientists have uncovered something surprising in the Atlantic Ocean.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

It was escorted by a Russian navy ship across the English Channel, but the two vessels parted ways when the tanker entered the Atlantic Ocean, according to the British Royal Navy.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

A flotilla of vessels were following the weakened animal at a distance, hoping to help guide it into the North Sea and toward the Atlantic Ocean, its natural habitat.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Earlier this year, it was moved back across the Atlantic Ocean to support operations against Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

The elevator was not much more than a wire cage, and as it slowly ascended, I could see the beautiful blue Atlantic Ocean just a stone s throw away.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins