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  • marina
    marina
    noun
    a boat basin offering dockage and other service for small craft.
  • Marina
    Marina
    noun
    a town in W California.
Synonyms

marina

1 American  
[muh-ree-nuh] / məˈri nə /

noun

  • marinas
    plural
  1. a boat basin offering dockage and other service for small craft.


Marina 2 American  
[muh-ree-nuh] / məˈri nə /

noun

  1. a town in W California.

  2. a female given name.


marina British  
/ məˈriːnə /

noun

  1. an elaborate docking facility for pleasure boats

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of marina

1795–1805; < Italian, Spanish, noun use of feminine of marino < Latin marīnus marine

Explanation

A marina is a dock, especially a fancy one used for sailboats and yachts. If you live in a harbor town, you can walk down the marina to watch boats come and go. A marina differs from a port, which is also a harbor where boats can dock, because it's designed for small boats and yachts, rather than large ships. Seaside towns and cities often have public marinas for mooring boats, and private yacht clubs also have marinas. The word marine, which means "pertaining to the sea," can help you remember that a marina is a place where boats dock. The Latin root of both is mare, "the sea."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing marina

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:

Hundreds of protesters as well as police gathered near the marina in the Hampshire town on Tuesday evening after the initial reports.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

We also own a marina slip near our primary residence.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Set among the community’s grand estates, the club offers marina access, a pool deck, a private beach and fine dining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Las Vegas has done a phenomenal job in preserving and... reclaiming water," said Bruce Nelson, whose family has owned the lake's marina for almost 70 years.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

I started looking around the marina to see if I could spot the cops.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Amid the demands for action, the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, tried to ease public fears about the widespread violence in her state.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Before the race at Marina Bay, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“I thought it was super cute,” the 22-year-old said as she waited in line at the Marina del Rey branch Friday afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

“No one’s switching over to Lake America. Nobody is. No one’s saying that,” said Ryan Cohen, who manages Lake Ontario Mariners Marina in Henderson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Marina nodded, then motioned for Anya to come over.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

According to news reports, flames destroyed homes, restaurants, campgrounds, marinas, and other facilities around the reservoirs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Situated on the outskirts of neighbouring Ellinikon, it promises to hold hotels, shopping centres, parks, marinas and 8,000 homes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

To outsiders, Nantucket can seem like a faraway, rich-person’s playground, full of yacht-packed marinas, six-figure golf-club memberships and $300 seafood towers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Transportation construction spending, as the government defines it, refers to structures used for transportation, such as airport hangars, bus terminals, railroad tracks and marinas.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

They looked at boats moored close together in marinas, or alone at the ends of long docks.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

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