seal
sealed; seals
A seal can be either the cute mammal at the aquarium balancing a beach ball on its nose, or the fancy stamp on your diploma that acts as an official "seal of approval" from your school.
Seal is a tricky word since its meanings are so diverse. One type of seal lives in water, coming ashore to breed, give birth, and nurse their young. The largest type of seal — the elephant seal — can weigh 6,000 pounds! On the other hand, seal can also mean a stamp that may be placed on a document to show that the document is official and authentic. And, if you want to make sure that your document is safe in its envelope, you might need to seal (make tight) the envelope with some tape.
Definitions of seal
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fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
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synonyms:
sealing wax
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fastener that provides a tight and perfect closure
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types:
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break seal
a seal that must be broken when first used and cannot easily be resealed
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gasket
seal consisting of a ring for packing pistons or sealing a pipe joint
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piston ring
seal consisting of a split metal ring that seals the gap between a piston and the cylinder wall
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washer
seal consisting of a flat disk placed to prevent leakage
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head gasket
a gasket to seal a cylinder head
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lock ring, lock washer, lockring
washer that prevents a nut from loosening
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O ring
a gasket consisting of a flat ring of rubber or plastic; used to seal a joint against high pressure
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a finishing coat applied to exclude moisture
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a device incised to make an impression; used to secure a closing or to authenticate documents
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synonyms:
stamp
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examples:
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Great Seal of the United States
the seal of the United States government
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types:
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bulla
the round leaden seal affixed to a papal bull
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cachet
a seal on a letter
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great seal
the principal seal of a government, symbolizing authority or sovereignty
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handstamp, rubber stamp
a stamp (usually made of rubber) for imprinting a mark or design by hand
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signet
a seal (especially one used to mark documents officially)
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type of:
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device
any ornamental pattern or design (as in embroidery)
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Great Seal of the United States
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a stamp affixed to a document (as to attest to its authenticity or to seal it)“the warrant bore the sheriff's seal”
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type of:
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impression, stamp
a symbol that is the result of printing or engraving
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impression, stamp
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an indication of approved or superior status
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close with or as if with a seal
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affix a seal to
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make tight; secure against leakage“seal the windows”
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synonyms:
seal off
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types:
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reseal
seal again
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waterproof
make watertight
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calk, caulk
seal with caulking
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pack
seal with packing
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cover with varnish
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decide irrevocably“sealing dooms”
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type of:
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decide, determine, make up one's mind
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
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decide, determine, make up one's mind
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any of numerous marine mammals that come on shore to breed; chiefly of cold regions
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types:
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crab-eating seal, crabeater seal
silvery grey Antarctic seal subsisting on crustaceans
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eared seal
pinniped mammal having external ear flaps and hind limbs used for locomotion on land; valued for its soft underfur
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earless seal, hair seal, true seal
any of several seals lacking external ear flaps and having a stiff hairlike coat with hind limbs reduced to swimming flippers
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fur seal
eared seal of the southern hemisphere; the thick soft underfur is the source of sealskin
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fur seal
an eared seal of the northern Pacific
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sea lion
any of several large eared seals of the northern Pacific related to fur seals but lacking their valuable coat
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Phoca vitulina, common seal, harbor seal
small spotted seal of coastal waters of the northern hemisphere
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Pagophilus groenlandicus, harp seal
common Arctic seal; the young are all white
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elephant seal, sea elephant
either of two large northern Atlantic earless seals having snouts like trunks
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Erignathus barbatus, bearded seal, squareflipper square flipper
medium-sized greyish to yellow seal with bristles each side of muzzle; of the Arctic Ocean
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Cystophora cristata, bladdernose, hooded seal
medium-sized blackish-grey seal with large inflatable sac on the head; of Arctic and northern Atlantic waters
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type of:
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pinnatiped, pinniped, pinniped mammal
aquatic carnivorous mammal having a streamlined body specialized for swimming with limbs modified as flippers
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the pelt or fur (especially the underfur) of a seal
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hunt seals
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type of:
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hunt, hunt down, run, track down
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
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hunt, hunt down, run, track down
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘seal'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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