high seas

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English

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Noun

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high seas pl (plural only)

  1. (nautical) Regions of the ocean that are far from shore, especially those regions that do not belong to any country.
    Synonyms: open ocean, open sea
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. . . . For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
  2. (slang) Regions of the Internet in which piracy (i.e. copyright infringement) is prevalent.
    I was out on the high seas yesterday and got myself a new mathematics book.

Usage notes

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  • Usually used in the plural form, although examples with the uncountable form high sea can be found, as in:
  • c. 1830, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 16, in The Water Witch:
    "[T]he commander of this vessel must get a passport of Her Majesty's cruiser, ere she again enter the high sea."
  • Often used in the phrase on the high seas.

Translations

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