merchant marine
Americannoun
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the vessels of a nation that are engaged in commerce.
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the officers and crews of such vessels.
Etymology
Origin of merchant marine
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
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.
Once the Revolutionary War commenced, and for years after, America’s merchant marine fleet was targeted by pirates of every stripe.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
One was a former merchant marine whose wooden 32-foot ketch was barely adequate for a journey through the punishing Southern Ocean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Sophia Dobrovolska, a 16-year-old aspiring merchant marine at the Odesa Sea Academy, lives on that empty sea.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2023
He’s a merchant marine, and it just so happens that a ship full of ammo bound for Saigon is short a crew member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2022
For instance, a merchant marine sailor who knew me and my reputation came into a bar carrying a package.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
