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Definition of sea lion

sea lion

Plural:sea lions
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sea lion Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A large marine mammal of the eared seal family (Otariidae), native primarily to the coastal waters of the Pacific and Southern Oceans, characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, and the ability to walk on all fours on land.

Example

"We stood on the wooden pier watching a massive California sea lion bask in the afternoon sun."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for sea lion

Word Nuance & Usage

Often confused with true seals; however, sea lions can be distinguished by their visible external ear flaps and their ability to rotate their hind flippers forward to walk on land.

• Nearby Words

sea krait
sea lamprey
sea lavender
sea lion
sea otter
sea raven
sea robin

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the 17th century from 'sea' + 'lion', likely due to the loud roaring vocalizations they make and the mane-like hair present on the necks of adult males of some species.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Sea lion. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/sea lion
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