freedom of the seas

American  

noun

International Law.

1. the doctrine that ships of neutral countries may sail anywhere on the high seas without interference by warring powers.

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freedom of the seas British  

noun

1. the right of ships of all nations to sail the high seas in peacetime

2. (in wartime) the immunity accorded to neutral ships from attack

3. the exclusive jurisdiction possessed by a state over its own ships sailing the high seas in peacetime

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Etymology

Origin of freedom of the seas

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

freedom of the seas

American efforts to secure free passage through the Strait of Hormuz also continue a long-established support for freedom of the seas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

Ultimately he thinks that a "some kind of deal" is the only way to restore the freedom of the seas that the health of the global economy relies on.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

Among these points were the rights of neutral nations, freedom of the seas, and the need to break up the empires that had caused the war and create new sovereign states in Europe.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Gilday said it’s in all of their political, social and economic interest to ensure freedom of the seas.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2021

I wished also to induce the Government of the United States to take energetic proceedings against England, with the object of translating into fact its idea of the freedom of the seas.

From My Three Years in America by Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich Andreas Hermann Albrecht Graf von