navy

[ ney-vee ]
See synonyms for: navynaviernaviest on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural na·vies.
  1. the whole body of warships and auxiliaries belonging to a country or ruler.

  2. (often initial capital letter) the complete body of such warships together with their officers and enlisted personnel, equipment, yards, etc., constituting the sea power of a nation.

  1. (often initial capital letter) the department of government charged with its management.

  2. Archaic. a fleet of ships.

adjective
  1. belonging or connected to a navy; naval: navy vessels in the harbor;a navy officer with combat experience aboard a submarine.

  2. of the color navy blue: Either tie will look great with your navy suit.

Origin of navy

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English navie, from Middle French, from unattested Vulgar Latin navia, equivalent to Latin nāv(is) “ship” + -ia noun suffix (see -y3)

Other words from navy

  • pro·na·vy, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use navy in a sentence

  • Many of our greatest American statesmen and scholars have combatted peace measures and advocated stronger armies and navies.

    Ways of War and Peace | Delia Austrian
  • It maintains armies and navies for his defence and security, and no other government is allowed to maintain them.

  • Nor had more solid evidence been lacking of the genuine alliance of which both navies were conscious.

British Dictionary definitions for navy

navy

/ (ˈneɪvɪ) /


nounplural -vies
  1. the warships and auxiliary vessels of a nation or ruler

  2. the navy (often capital) the branch of a country's armed services comprising such ships, their crews, and all their supporting services and equipment

  1. short for navy blue

  2. archaic, or literary a fleet of ships

  3. (as modifier): a navy custom

Origin of navy

1
C14: via Old French from Vulgar Latin nāvia (unattested) ship, from Latin nāvis ship

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