blue-water

American  

[bloo-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈbluˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

adjective

1. designed to operate on and range over the open sea; oceangoing.

   a bluewater navy that can be dispatched throughout the world, far from its home base.

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Etymology

Origin of blue-water

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Diego Garcia becomes more important as China expands its blue-water navy and establishes naval and air bases in the Indo-Pacific.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

The People’s Liberation Army Navy “has evolved from a coastal force to a blue-water navy signifying its ambition for global power projection,” the report said.

From Washington Times • Aug. 2, 2023

Navy warfare strategists working on arming the surface fleet for massive blue-water combat.

From Fox News • Jul. 17, 2020

Nowadays cascades of sciences, pursuits less romantic than blue-water sailing, and ranging from archaeology to microbiology, have essentially answered the other questions too.

From New York Times • May 14, 2019

And whole trainfuls of people sneered at their country's institution in a manner which, had it been adopted by a foreigner, would have plunged Europe into war and finally tested the blue-water theory.

From Buried Alive: a Tale of These Days by Bennett, Arnold