seafarer
Americannoun
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a sailor.
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a traveler on the sea.
noun
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a traveller who goes by sea
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a less common word for sailor
Etymology
Origin of seafarer
First recorded in 1505–15; sea + fare ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing seafarer
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.
Zheng He, a 15th-century Chinese seafarer, visited the strait, and Marco Polo wrote about risk-taking mariners there.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
He entered Iraqi waters in November on a vessel refuelling oil tankers -- his first trip as a seafarer.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
"I used to be a seafarer, and I didn't want to carry on on ships, but to do something similar. I thought this would align pretty well with the skills that I've got."
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
Popular images, such as the fearless adventurer, powerful fighter and skilled seafarer, have become familiar.
From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025
As Penelope already knew, Simon’s great-uncle Pudge was very old and had been a seafarer in his youth; now he lived in a home for old sailors in the city of Brighton, near the sea.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.