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Definition of seal noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seal

noun
 
 
/siːl/
 
/siːl/
Idioms
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    official mark

  1.  
    [countable] an official design or mark, stamped on a document to show that it is real and carries the authority of a particular person or organization
    • The letter bore the president's seal.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • wax
    • presidential
    • privy
    • …
    verb + seal
    • break
    phrases
    • a/​the somebody’s seal of approval
    See full entry
    2.

    making something definite

  2.  
    [singular] a thing that makes something definite
    • The project has been given the government's seal of approval (= official approval).
    • I looked upon the gift as a seal on our friendship.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • wax
    • presidential
    • privy
    • …
    verb + seal
    • break
    phrases
    • a/​the somebody’s seal of approval
    See full entry
    3.

    on containers

  3.  
    [countable] a substance, piece of material, etc. used to fill a small opening so that air, liquid, etc. cannot get in or out
    • a jar with a rubber seal in the lid
    • Only drink bottled water and check the seal isn't broken.
    4.

    on letters/boxes

  4.  
    [countable] a piece of wax (= a soft substance produced by bees), soft metal or paper that is placed across the opening of something such as a letter or box and which has to be broken before the letter or box can be opened
    • He broke the wax seal and unrolled the paper.
    • an official-looking letter with a wax seal
  5. [countable] a piece of metal, a ring, etc. with a design on it, used for stamping a wax or metal seal

    6. sea animal

  6. [countable] a sea animal that eats fish and lives around coasts. There are many types of seal, some of which are hunted for their fur.
    • a colony of seals
    • grey seals basking on the rocks
    see also elephant seal, harp seal
    Extra Examples
    • Environmentalists claim there is no reason to cull seals.
    • The annual seal hunt takes place on the pack ice off Greenland.
    Topics Animalsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • baby
    verb + seal
    • hunt
    • club
    • cull
    • …
    seal + verb
    • bask
    seal + noun
    • pup
    • colony
    • cull
    • …
    See full entry
    7. Word Originnoun senses 1 to 5 Middle English: from Old French seel (noun), seeler (verb), from Latin sigillum ‘small picture’, diminutive of signum ‘a sign’. noun sense 6 Old English seolh, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
set the seal on something
  1. (formal) to make something definite or complete
    • Her election to the premiership set the seal on a remarkable political career.
under seal
  1. (formal) (of a document) in a sealed envelope that cannot be opened before a particular time
See seal in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee seal in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: seal

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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