merchant navy

British

noun

the ships or crew engaged in a nation's commercial shipping

"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

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.

His father was part of the Merchant Navy, and was often away for long periods of time.

From Los Angeles Times

Born in Prestatyn, Wales, Lord Prescott left school at 15 and worked as a steward in the Merchant Navy.

From BBC

Kollattu Ravikumar, a survivor of the hijacking who worked as a merchant navy captain for a US-based firm, confirmed the aliases in an article on Rediff news portal in 2000.

From BBC

Mr Filby was eligible for the War Medal 1939-45, which was created for everyone who served full-time in the armed forces and the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days during WW2.

From BBC

Despite the mutual attraction they went their separate ways after school and Bill joined the Merchant Navy.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023