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definitions

merchant marine

See more synonyms for merchant marine on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the vessels of a nation that are engaged in commerce.
  2. the officers and crews of such vessels.

Origin of merchant marine

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for merchant marine

marine

Examples from the Web for merchant marine

Historical Examples of merchant marine

  • But New York had taken rapid strides in her merchant-marine.

    A Little Girl of Long Ago

    Amanda Millie Douglas

  • The race of our merchant-marine captains disappeared with their ships, and they will return no more.

    Hawthorne and His Circle

    Julian Hawthorne

  • Several German merchant-marine companies, notably the Kosmos, plied along the Chilian coast.

  • So he rose to the highest rank in the merchant-marine, and was respected almost to idolatry by all on board the Vulcan.