Overseas means across the ocean, in or to a foreign country separated from your own by sea. When someone travels overseas, they're journeying to another continent: an American student visiting Japan is going overseas, while a trip from New York to California stays within the same country.

To reach most foreign countries from America, you have to cross an ocean. During World War II, millions of American soldiers served overseas in Europe and the Pacific. Today, companies might have overseas offices in London or Singapore, meaning branches located across the ocean from their headquarters.

You can use overseas as an adjective too: “overseas travel” or “overseas markets.” The word carries a sense of distance and adventure, suggesting a journey that requires crossing a significant body of water to reach somewhere distinctly foreign and far from home.