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

And while Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been forced back from Ukraine’s coast, Beijing possesses a blue-water navy that has surpassed the U.S.

From Washington Times • Feb. 19, 2023

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

From Fox News • Jul. 17, 2020

It concerns the inhabitants of the 10-million-square-mile triangle of blue-water Pacific real estate now known as Polynesia, which is bounded by New Zealand, Easter Island and the Hawaiian archipelago.

From New York Times • May 14, 2019

"A dear old chap, you know, but rather of the old blue-water school."

From John Dene of Toronto A Comedy of Whitehall by Jenkins, Herbert George