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merchant navy

British  

noun

  1. 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.

The Iranian merchant navy is likewise visible off the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on the other side of the strait.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

Seeking adventure beyond his native country, he joined the merchant navy after graduation.

From New York Times • Sep. 19, 2022

He was raised by a foster family after his merchant navy sailor father died in a submarine attack in the North Atlantic.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2022

When he was 10, he moved with his family to Sydenham, then a suburb south of London, and attended nearby Dulwich College before signing up for the merchant navy at 16.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2022

The merchant navy of the English colonies was already larger than that of many European nations, and known in almost every port in the world where men bought and sold.

From The Conquest of Canada (Vol. 1 of 2) by Warburton, George