navy

American  

[ney-vee] / ˈneɪ vi /

noun

navies plural

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.

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

4. navy blue.

5. Archaic. a fleet of ships.

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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.

navy British  

/ ˈneɪvɪ /

noun

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

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

3. short for navy blue

4. archaic a fleet of ships

5. ( as modifier )

   a navy custom

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pronavy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• navies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of navy

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 -y ³)

Explanation

A navy is a military force made up of boats and ships that are equipped for defense and fighting. If you always get seasick, you might think about joining an army instead of a navy. During a war, a country's navy does the important job of protecting its shores, as well as attacking the enemy's coasts. A navy is made up of battleships, submarines, and smaller vessels, as well as planes that can land on aircraft carriers or on water. The color that's also called navy, a dark blue, was the original color of the British navy. The Latin root of navy is navis, "ship."

Example Sentences

It features a new red, white and navy blue colour scheme in a change from the previous white and light blue livery.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

Chinese navy spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in a statement shared on WeChat that the test launch was "a routine arrangement of China's annual military training," and that "relevant countries were informed in advance."

From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026

A treaty was signed, followed by a prisoner exchange, and the U.S. eventually withdrew its navy.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

Ukraine's almost non-existent navy has been able to successfully drive back Russia's once-powerful Black Sea fleet away from its shores by using extraordinarily innovative drone technology both on, above and below the surface.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

I leaned against a knobbly pine sticky with sap that matted the back of my head to the bark and watched the sky betray me into navy.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline