mariner
noun
mar·i·ner
ˈmer-ə-nər 
ˈma-rə-
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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.
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
This date is also supported by a notice to mariners, but it should be taken as notional rather than something to be confident in.
—
ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025
The high costs that come with building a military and commercial vessel have been a major barrier—alongside a shortage of mariners—in getting the U.S. shipbuilding industry back up to speed with its Chinese counterparts.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 May 2025
Warning notices advising pilots and mariners to steer clear of the test area indicated the missile and its hypersonic glide vehicle were supposed to splash down in the mid-Atlantic Ocean hundreds of miles north and northeast of Puerto Rico.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2025
The city’s remaining water intake cribs — Four Mile, 68th Street, Carter H. Harrison, Edward F. Dunne, Wilson Avenue and William E. Dever — also were fitted with electrical navigation devices to aid mariners.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
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ArsTechnica, 9 May 2025
The high costs that come with building a military and commercial vessel have been a major barrier—alongside a shortage of mariners—in getting the U.S. shipbuilding industry back up to speed with its Chinese counterparts.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 May 2025
Warning notices advising pilots and mariners to steer clear of the test area indicated the missile and its hypersonic glide vehicle were supposed to splash down in the mid-Atlantic Ocean hundreds of miles north and northeast of Puerto Rico.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2025
The city’s remaining water intake cribs — Four Mile, 68th Street, Carter H. Harrison, Edward F. Dunne, Wilson Avenue and William E. Dever — also were fitted with electrical navigation devices to aid mariners.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mariner
Cite this Entry
“Mariner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mariner. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mariner
noun
mar·i·ner
ˈmar-ə-nər
: one who navigates or assists in navigating a ship : sailor
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