mariner

noun

mar·​i·​ner ˈmer-ə-nər 

ˈma-rə-

: a person who navigates or assists in navigating a ship : seaman, sailor

Did you know?

In Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, an old seaman tells of how, by shooting a friendly albatross, he had brought storms and disaster to his ship, and how as punishment his shipmates hung the great seabird around the mariner's neck and made him wear it until it rotted. The word mariner has occasionally been used to mean simply "explorer", as in the famous Mariner spaceflights in the 1960s and '70s, the first to fly close to Mars, Venus, and Mercury.

Synonyms

• gob
• hearty
• jack
• jack-tar
• navigator
• sailor
• salt
• sea dog
• seafarer
• seaman
• shipman
• swab
• swabbie [slang]
• swabby
• tar

Examples of mariner in a Sentence

the ancient Phoenicians were outstanding mariners who explored and colonized much of the eastern Mediterranean

Recent Examples on the Web

Her father, Thirlby, was a master mariner who became a dry cleaning magnate. —Penelope Green, New York Times, 22 May 2024

But the animals’ unusual behavior goes back even further: Since 2020, mariners have reported 700 interactions between orcas and ships in the Strait of Gibraltar, per Reuters. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024

The cost of tug escorts is part of the calculus, said Jeffrey Slesinger, a longtime tug captain who now trains mariners through his company Delphi Maritime, based in Edmonds, Washington. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2024

For ancient mariners, the two pillars were a warning: Advance no farther. —Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin marinarius, from marinus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mariner

• mariner's compass

Kids Definition

mariner

noun

mar·​i·​ner ˈmar-ə-nər 

: one who navigates or assists in navigating a ship : sailor