maritime
Americanadjective
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associated with the sea or waterways to the sea in relation to navigation, shipping, etc..
Maritime commerce accounts for trillions of dollars in annual U.S. economic activity.
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of or relating to the sea or waterways to the sea.
maritime resources.
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bordering on the sea.
picturesque maritime towns.
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living near or in the sea.
maritime plants.
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characteristic of a sailor; nautical.
She stands on the foredeck, glad to be wearing her maritime rain gear.
adjective
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of or relating to navigation, shipping, etc; seafaring
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of, relating to, near, or living near the sea
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(of a climate) having small temperature differences between summer and winter; equable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of maritime
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin maritimus “pertaining to the sea,” equivalent to mari- (stem of mare “sea”) + -timus adjective suffix
Explanation
Use maritime to describe anything involving the sea and ships. A maritime museum would probably be located in a coastal town, and stuffed full of historic boats, oars, life preservers, and fishing gear. Maritime comes from the Latin word maritimus, which means "of the sea," so the meaning hasn't evolved much. Whales and dolphins are maritime animals, and according to maritime law, the captain of a ship can marry two people at sea. It's very similar to nautical, except nautical refers to ships, and maritime covers ships and other ocean-related stuff.
Vocabulary lists containing maritime
The Constitution of the United States
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Refugee
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Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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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.
Maritime trackers also pointed to an uptick in tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Maritime data-analytics firm Kpler clocked 71 confirmed tanker transits through the strait over the weekend, including a peak of 35 crossings on Saturday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026
The Mogami-class frigate, which Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has been sailing since 2022, is the kind of high-tech weaponry that Japan wants to sell overseas after relaxing decades-old restrictions on lethal arms exports.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains at levels before the Iran-US agreement, says the Kpler maritime tracking platform, but there are signs of recovery ahead of Friday's official reopening.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
Then, in 1973, a team of scientists from Duke University’s Maritime Laboratory found the historic ironclad.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
