marine

1 of 2

adjective

ma·​rine mə-ˈrēn How to pronounce marine (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to the sea
marine life
marine biology
b
: of or relating to the act or practice of sailing over the sea : nautical
a marine chart
c
: of or relating to the commerce (see commerce entry 1 sense 2) of the sea : maritime
marine law
d
: depicting the sea, seashore, or ships
a marine painter
2
: of or relating to marines (see marine entry 2 sense 2)
marine barracks

marine

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the mercantile and naval shipping of a country
b
: seagoing ships especially in relation to nationality or class
2
: one of a class of armed services personnel serving on shipboard or in close association with a naval force
specifically : a member of the U.S. Marine Corps
3
: an executive department (as in France) having charge of naval affairs
4
: a marine picture : seascape

Examples of marine in a Sentence

Adjective marine animals such as dolphins and whales he loves collecting little marine creatures while at the beach Noun He is a former U.S. Marine. the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
This isn’t the first time orcas and other marine species have struggled due to drift ice. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Prioritize Speed And Scalability: The urgency of the climate crisis demands rapid deployment of scalable solutions and can be likened to the dynamic nature of a ship in the marine field. Rosalba Carandente, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The marine mammals often seen on the shores of the American and Sacramento rivers are sea lions. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 Those fish, in turn, provided fewer calories for humpback whales, seabirds and other marine creatures that depend on them for energy. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Miami Seaquarium’s chief veterinarian has resigned, another sign of a growing crisis at the Virginia Key marine park that has made Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava accelerate her efforts to terminate the county’s lease with Seaquarium operator The Dolphin Company. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The outer edge of a Pacific storm will begin moving into the region Thursday, causing the marine layer to deepen and throw off fog and mist in some areas, the National Weather Service said. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 The virus has proven potent enough to jump from birds to mammals, striking elephant seals and other marine mammals that congregate on shore. Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Members of an organization called Wildlife Pro were in the middle of marine research off the island of Hokkaido when a local fisherman spotted orcas trapped by sea ice, NHK World Japan reported. Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
Kele Clairmont, a former marine who became friends with David during their time in Afghanistan, had spent years battling the disorder after his 2017 discharge when his wife Kaitlyn reached out to Cherya for help in 2022. Johnny Dodd, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Williams will play Daniel De Luca, a half-Italian former U.S. marine who returns to Italy, his childhood home, as a fixer in a luxury hotel where one of the owner’s daughters disappears. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 Dutch marines ended the standoff by storming the train, killing six hijackers and two of their more than 50 hostages. Claire Moses, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 Just this month, the marines have lost a couple of dozen tanks, BMP fighting vehicles and MT-LB armored tractors and presumably scores of troops. David Axe, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 In August 2010, Mexican marines had captured La Barbie. Tim Golden, ProPublica, 31 Jan. 2024 Scientists have been placing trackers on these blubbery marine mammals around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity. Ethan Freedman, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023 Penny, who is a former marine, allegedly felt threatened and reacted by placing the man in a chokehold for six minutes, according to prosecutors. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2024 Four people, including two South Korean marines serving on the island, were killed. Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'marine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Latin marinus, from mare sea; akin to Old English mere sea, pool, Old High German meri sea, Old Church Slavonic morje

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of marine was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near marine

Cite this Entry

“Marine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

marine

1 of 2 adjective
ma·​rine mə-ˈrēn How to pronounce marine (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to the sea
marine life
b
: of or relating to the navigation of the sea : nautical, maritime
a marine chart
marine insurance
2
: of or relating to marines
marine barracks

marine

2 of 2 noun
1
: the commercial and naval shipping of a country
2
: one of a class of soldiers serving aboard ship or in association with a naval force
especially : a member of the U.S. Marine Corps

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