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.

See Examples For:

maiden voyage

She knows what — or should I say who? — really went down on that disastrous maiden voyage.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Hansen, a 50-year-old former fighter pilot on his maiden voyage into space, said he saw "some extraordinary things" during the first hours aboard the Orion.

From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026

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 smell of fresh varnish made her feel like the inaugural passenger of a magical, maiden voyage.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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