Meanings
- colloquialrhetoricA rhetorical question in response to a question having an obvious answer.
The Chairman of the Power Authority Mr. Flynn, made the remark, "Philosophers are frequently asked, 'Why is it that rivers are always near cities?'" Or, as the Tin Man said, "Why is the ocean near the shore?"
1989, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Water Resources, Transportation, and Infrastructure, Onondaga Lake Restoration Act of 1989: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Water Resources, Transportation, and Infrastructure of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress, First Session, on S. 27 ... April 27, 1989--Syracuse, NY., U.S. Government Publishing Office, page 36Synonyms: affirmative, does a bear shit in the woods, do fish swim?, is snow white?, is the Pope a Catholic?, is the Pope Catholic?, is the sky blue?, is water wet?
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseA rhetorical question in response to a question having an obvious answer.
Cite this entry
why is the ocean near the shore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20is%20the%20ocean%20near%20the%20shore
“why is the ocean near the shore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20is%20the%20ocean%20near%20the%20shore. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “why is the ocean near the shore,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/why%20is%20the%20ocean%20near%20the%20shore.
Source: why is the ocean near the shore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.