noun

seal

seel

noun

A marine mammal with flippers that lives partly on land and partly in the sea.

"A colony of seals basked on the rocky shore."

An official stamp, or the mark it leaves, used to authenticate a document.

"The certificate bore the university's official seal."

verb

To close something securely so it cannot be opened without damage, or to prevent leakage.

"She sealed the envelope before posting it."

"Use tape to seal the box so nothing falls out in transit."

How to Use Seal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThree main uses: the flippered sea mammal, an official authenticating stamp, or the act of closing something tightly.

Common pairings

seal of approval seal an envelope seal a deal

Word Forms

sealed past tense, sealed past tense, sealed past tense, seals plural, seals plural, Seals plural, seals singular, seals singular, seals singular

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A colony of _____ basked on the rocky shore.

Etymology

From Old English seolh (the animal) and, separately, from Old French seel/Latin sigillum (the stamp sense) — two originally distinct words that now share the same spelling.

Rhymes for seal

deal zeal teal real meal heal peal veal Neal beal ideal wheal

See all rhymes for seal →