Definition of "oceanic" []

• Of or relating to the ocean: "Like many oceanic islands, Bermuda was originally free of all mammals except the bat” ( Dwight Holing). (adjective)
• Produced by or living in an ocean, especially in the open sea rather than in shallow coastal waters. (adjective)
• Resembling an ocean in expanse; vast: oceanic steppes. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The census takers conceded Monday, however, that they still have a poor understanding of both sea microbes and sea plants, both of which play a crucial role in oceanic life."
• "But just how much artificial warming — as opposed to natural drifts in oceanic temperatures — contributed to the drought that struck Darfur is as debatable as the relationship between global warming and the destruction of New Orleans."
• "What about arranging for the descent into the caves with a type of mobile tethered and insulated bathysphere, similar to that used in oceanic diving."