marina
noun
a boat basin offering dockage and other service for small craft.
marina
1 American
[muh-ree-nuh]
/ məˈri nə /
noun
Marina
2
American
[muh-ree-nuh]
/ məˈri nə /
noun
-
a town in W California.
-
a female given name.
marina
British
/ məˈriːnə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of marina
1795–1805; < Italian, Spanish, noun use of feminine of marino < Latin marīnus marine
Explanation
A marina is a dock, especially a fancy one used for sailboats and yachts. If you live in a harbor town, you can walk down the marina to watch boats come and go. A marina differs from a port, which is also a harbor where boats can dock, because it's designed for small boats and yachts, rather than large ships. Seaside towns and cities often have public marinas for mooring boats, and private yacht clubs also have marinas. The word marine, which means "pertaining to the sea," can help you remember that a marina is a place where boats dock. The Latin root of both is mare, "the sea."
Vocabulary lists containing marina
First-Name Basis: Words That Are Also Names
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Smile
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Red Kayak
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“They’re having payment shocks from taxes and insurance…along with potential job distress,” said Marina Walsh, an economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
For the media, in the words of Le Telegramme daily, the election was "generally calm and well-organised," while Le Matin Libre saw "Wadagni on his way to the Marina," the presidential palace.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
"It defines the female sex without taking into account the biological specificities of intersex individuals, whose sexual characteristics present natural variations, leading to a reductive and potentially stigmatising approach," claimed French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Council District 11 includes neighborhoods near the shore, such as Venice, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey and Playa Vista.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
The Casa Marina Hotel was closed, and most of the other businesses were boarded up.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
