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

The search spanned roughly 2,400 square miles and involved officials from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force who used three surface ships and 12 aircraft.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

Navy officials say rescue operations like it are just one of the tasks for which they are preparing to use these sea drones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Adding to concerns, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy organization, said Thursday it had received a report of an incident a few miles southeast of Dahit, Oman.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026

"The good news is gas prices have come down substantially since May," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

But as soon as she left and took a job with first the Navy and then the Coast Guard, military officials suspected her and her husband of leaking secrets to each other.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield