marine
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the sea; existing in or produced by the sea.
marine vegetation.
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pertaining to navigation or shipping; nautical; naval; maritime.
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serving on shipboard, as soldiers.
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of or belonging to the marines.
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adapted for use at sea.
a marine barometer.
noun
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a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
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one of a class of naval troops serving both on shipboard and on land.
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seagoing ships collectively, especially with reference to nationality or class; shipping in general.
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a picture with a marine subject; seascape.
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naval affairs, or the department of a government, as in France, having to do with such affairs.
idioms
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dead marine, an empty bottle of beer or spirits.
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tell it / that to the marines! I don't believe your story; I refuse to be fooled.
adjective
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of, found in, or relating to the sea
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of or relating to shipping, navigation, etc
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of or relating to a body of seagoing troops
marine corps
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of or relating to a government department concerned with maritime affairs
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used or adapted for use at sea
a marine camera
noun
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shipping and navigation in general
the merchant marine
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(capital when part of a name) a member of a marine corps or similar body
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a picture of a ship, seascape, etc
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informal an expression of disbelief
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Relating to the sea.
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Relating to a system of open-ocean and unprotected coastal habitats, characterized by exposure to wave action, tidal fluctuation, and ocean currents and by the absence of trees, shrubs, or emergent vegetation. Water in the marine system is at or near the full salinity of seawater.
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Compare lacustrine palustrine riverine
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of marine
1325–75; Middle English maryne < Middle French marin (feminine marine ) < Latin marīnus of the sea, derivative of mare sea; see -ine 1
Explanation
If it has to do with the ocean or sea, you can call it marine. Your friend in the U.S. Armed Services who is a Marine probably spends a lot of time near the ocean. Marine life is everything that lives in the water: plants, fish, sharks, algae, crabs, seahorses, giant squid, and the list goes on and on. When you study things that live in or near the sea, you are either a marine biologist or just really excited about ocean life. If you work in a field that deals with the ocean, boats, sailors or the navy you could be, for instance, a marine meteorologist.
Vocabulary lists containing marine
Something's Fishy: A Fresh Catch of Aquatic Words
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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Pacific Islands - Middle School and High School
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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.
Iran seized the Hui Chuan, a support vessel owned by Chinese firm Sinoguards Marine Security, near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
The ceremony is taking place at 11:00 BST at Johnny's Bar, on Marine Road Central, with a whole host of events planned for the remainder of the week.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
A Marine expeditionary unit was sent from Okinawa to the region for the potential operation.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Otherwise it would just be a major coincidence that Rubio and Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of Southern Command, posed for a photo in front of a map of Cuba.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
“It predicted what might happen to the seal population off Cape Cod after the Marine Mammal Protection Act became law. Back then, seals had been my focus.”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
