maiden voyage

American

noun

the first voyage of a ship after its acceptance by the owners from the builders.

maiden voyage British

noun

nautical the first voyage of a vessel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

maiden voyage Idioms

The first experience, as in This tennis tournament is my maiden voyage in statewide competition. This term, originally meaning the first voyage of a ship, was first recorded in 1901, but the use of maiden to signify “the first time” dates from the mid-1500s.

Etymology

Origin of maiden voyage

First recorded in 1900–05

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.

But the company delayed its maiden voyage to prevent a catastrophic launch that CEO Peter Beck said would have been a “heartbreak.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

Days before the Champagne bottle was broken over the bow for its maiden voyage last week, I boarded the ship to watch the final preparations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

The ship hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York, with 2,224 passengers and crew on board.

From Barron's • Oct. 15, 2025

The Oscar-winning ballad was on the soundtrack of the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as two lovers who meet on the doomed ship's maiden voyage in 1912.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2024

My maiden voyage had already presented its challenges.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023