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• mariner
  mariner

  noun

  a person who directs or assists in the navigation of a ship; sailor.
• Mariner
  Mariner

  noun

  any of a series of US space probes launched between 1962 and 1971 that sent back photographs and information concerning the surface of Mars and Venus and also studied interplanetary matter

mariner

American  

[mar-uh-ner] / ˈmær ə nər /

noun

1. a person who directs or assists in the navigation of a ship; sailor.

   Synonyms:

   seafarer

2. (initial capital letter) one of a series of U.S. space probes that obtained scientific information while flying by or orbiting around the planets Mars, Mercury, and Venus.

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Mariner ¹ British  

/ ˈmærɪnə /

noun

1. any of a series of US space probes launched between 1962 and 1971 that sent back photographs and information concerning the surface of Mars and Venus and also studied interplanetary matter

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mariner ² British  

/ ˈmærɪnə /

noun

1. a formal or literary word for seaman

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Usage

What does mariner mean? A mariner is a sailor, especially a professional one. The word sailor is used much more commonly than mariner, which often sounds formal or old-fashioned. Mariner is sometimes used as a more poetic word for sailor, much like its synonym seafarer. In literature, the word is associated with its use in the title of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which is considered highly influential and a landmark of Romantic literature. It is in fact about a sailor. Mariner was also the name of a NASA program involving a series of probes (which were also each named Mariner along with a number) launched to gather information while orbiting Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The word also appears in the name of the Seattle Mariners baseball team—a reference to Seattle’s heritage as a port city. Example: The seaside pub was frequented by salty old mariners.

Synonym Usage

See sailor.

Etymology

Origin of mariner

First recorded in 1250–1300 mariner for def. 1; mariner for def. 2 1960–65; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Old French marinier. See marine, -er ²

Explanation

A mariner is someone who works on a boat or ship. A lobsterman who works alone on a small boat is a mariner, and so is the captain of an enormous cargo ship. Mariner is a somewhat old-fashioned word for a sailor or seafarer, a person who spends most of their working life on some kind of ocean vessel. Today, you're more likely to read about mariners in an old book than to meet people who describes themselves this way. Mariner comes from the Latin word marinus, "of the sea," and its root, mare, "the sea."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mariner Mariner

"I tried to stay calm because I was responsible for 31 lives, a ship worth $40 million, and cargo valued at $8.2 million," the 51-year-old Bangladeshi mariner told AFP, back home after the ordeal.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

A wildfire sparked by the flare of a shipwrecked mariner has burned nearly a fifth of Santa Rosa Island and marks what officials called the largest blaze recorded on the island in modern history.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

The ship is now cursed: The 200 crewmen die, but the mariner lives to tell the tale, and nothing but the tale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

The discovery of this boat now changes our entire understanding of ancient mariner abilities.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2024

She’s also a mariner in the first scene; she can get away with this because of her height.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Chief Constable Andy Mariner, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for public order, said forces were "continually assessing and preparing for protests and any potential impact on public safety".

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Mexico’s last shipment, 85,000 barrels on the tanker Ocean Mariner, was unloaded in Cuba on Jan 9.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

By Jacob Soboroff Mariner Books: 272 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

Janney banking analyst Christopher Mariner told MarketWatch that third-party outsourcing to check loan collateral is normal in the industry but lenders must still manage their vendors.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025

Then a leather-clad Mariner shoves past, breaking us apart, and Keenan's mouth twitches in a brief, rueful smile.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir