What does "seal" mean?
A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal.
Seal
/siːl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal.
- Grammar: seal is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: stamp, accept, acceptance, accredit.
- Useful contrasts: bored, crannied, dutch rust.
- Usage evidence: Once you break the seal, you can't return the tape.
How to use "seal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "seal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "seal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "seal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "seal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "seal" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "stamp" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "seal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal.
"The seals in the harbor looked better than they smelled."
- 2 A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax.
"She [Nature] carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die."
- 3 Ellipsis of Navy SEAL (“member of the Sea, Air, Land unit”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Enough people connected to the SEALs and the bin Laden mission have confirmed for me that the Shooter was the "number two" behind the raid's point man going up the stairs to bin Laden's third-floor residence […] The point man is the only one besides the Shooter who could verify the kill shots firsthand, and he did just that to another SEAL I spoke with."
- 4 any of numerous marine mammals that come on shore to breed; chiefly of cold regions wordnet
- 5 An impression of such stamp on wax, paper or other material used for sealing.
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a device incised to make an impression; used to secure a closing or to authenticate documents wordnet
- 7 A facsimile of an impression of such stamp that is a mark or symbol of an office or organisation.
"The front of the podium bore the presidential seal."
- 8 fastener that provides a tight and perfect closure wordnet
- 9 Anything that secures or authenticates.
- 10 a finishing coat applied to exclude moisture wordnet
- 11 Something which will be visibly damaged if a covering or container is opened, and which may or may not bear an official design.
"The result was declared invalid, as the seal on the meter had been broken."
- 12 fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters wordnet
- 13 Confirmation or approval, or an indication of this. figuratively
"Her clothes always had her mom's seal of approval."
- 14 an indication of approved or superior status wordnet
- 15 Something designed to prevent liquids or gases from leaking through a joint.
"The canister is leaking. I think the main seal needs to be replaced."
- 16 a stamp affixed to a document (as to attest to its authenticity or to seal it) wordnet
- 17 A tight closure, secure against leakage.
"Close the lid tightly to get a good seal."
- 18 a member of a Naval Special Warfare unit who is trained for unconventional warfare wordnet
- 19 A chakra.
- 20 the pelt or fur (especially the underfur) of a seal wordnet
Verb
- 1 To hunt seals. intransitive
"They're organizing a protest against sealing."
- 2 To place a seal on (a document). transitive
- 3 To tie up animals (especially cattle) in their stalls. dialectal
- 4 decide irrevocably wordnet
- 5 To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality.
"to seal weights and measures"
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 hunt seals wordnet
- 7 To fasten (something) so that it cannot be opened without visible damage. transitive
"The cover is sealed. If anyone tries to open it, we'll know about it."
- 8 cover with varnish wordnet
- 9 To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something). transitive
"The border has been sealed until the fugitives are found."
- 10 close with or as if with a seal wordnet
- 11 To close securely to prevent leakage. transitive
"I've sealed the bottle to keep the contents fresh."
- 12 make tight; secure against leakage wordnet
- 13 To place in a sealed container. transitive
"I've sealed the documents in this envelope."
- 14 affix a seal to wordnet
- 15 To place a notation of one's next move in a sealed envelope to be opened after an adjournment. transitive
"After thinking for half an hour, the champion sealed his move."
- 16 To guarantee. transitive
"The last-minute goal sealed United’s win."
- 17 To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement or plaster, etc.
"Sealed to this wall by their rims were cazuelas ( earthenware bowls)."
- 18 To close by means of a seal.
"to seal a drainpipe with water"
- 19 To bind eternally as family members. Mormonism
"If a man once married desires a second helpmate […] she is sealed to him under the solemn sanction of the church."
- 20 To form a sacred commitment.
"What was that office, or work, to which his Father sealed him? I answer, more generally, he was sealed to the whole work of mediation for us, thereby to recover and save all the elect, whom the Father had given him:"
- 21 To fry (meat) at a high temperature to retain the juices. transitive
"Seal the meat and continue frying until nicely browned."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A village in Sevenoaks district, Kent, England.
Example
"Once you break the seal, you can't return the tape."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "seal"?
Common synonyms include: stamp, accept, acceptance, accredit, affirm, affirmance.
How do you use "seal" in a sentence?
Once you break the seal, you can't return the tape.
How do you pronounce "seal"?
Pronounced /siːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sel, from an inflectional form of Old English seolh, from Proto-West Germanic *selh, from Proto-Germanic *selhaz (compare Scots selch,selkie, North Frisian selich, Middle Dutch seel, zēle, Old High German selah, Danish sæl, Middle Low German sale, Icelandic selur), either from Proto-Indo-European *selk- (“to pull”) (compare dialectal English sullow (“plough”)) or from early Proto-Finnic *šülkeš (later *hülgeh, compare dialectal Finnish hylki, standard hylje, Estonian hüljes).
Etymology 2
From Middle English sele, from Anglo-Norman seel, from Latin sigillum, a diminutive of signum (“sign”). Doublet of sigil and sigillum.
Etymology 3
From Middle English *selen (suggested by Middle English sele (“harness; hame”)), perhaps from Old English sǣlan (“to bind”).
Etymology 4
* As an English surname, spelling variant of Sale. * As an occupational English surname, related to seal. * As an occupational English surname, from Old French sele (“saddle”). * As an English nickname-derived surname, from seal (the animal). * As a Jewish surname, spelling variant or semantic loan of Siegel.