From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoceano‧cean /ˈəʊʃən $ ˈoʊ-/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 → the ocean2 [countable]SGHEO one of the very large areas of sea on the Earth’s surface the Pacific Ocean3 → oceans of something → a drop in the ocean at drop2(8)GRAMMAR: Patterns with oceanin the ocean• You use in the ocean to talk about things that happen in the water: We swam in the ocean.There are thousands of species of fish in the ocean. on the ocean• You use on the ocean to talk about things that happen on the surface of the water: He dreamed of buying a yacht and sailing on the ocean.by the ocean• You use by the ocean to talk about the area near the ocean: I’d love to live by the ocean.
Examples from the Corpus
ocean• It is also worth thinking about the possibility that rearrangements of the continents and oceans would themselves have considerable climatic effects.• Amid the barren ocean floor swarmed legions of bizarre, new animals.• These shells, which came from the great oceans, impart sacred knowledge.• You think I let her scare me about that ocean?• Everything was hygienically sluiced away by the ocean.• About 100 tons of contaminated sediments still lie on the ocean floor.• Obviously if we close up the ocean again, the resemblances would not be so startling.• You could get seasick at the top watching the clouds scudding across a full moon in a vast ocean of space.Origin ocean (1200-1300) Latin oceanus, from Greek Okeanos name of a river believed to flow around the world 