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

• sailor
• navigator

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

Until the early 20th century, stories of shark attacks were considered mariners’ tall tales, lumped in with mermaid and sea serpent sightings. —Hans Walters, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025

Sailors, also called mariners, are people who navigate or assist in navigating ships. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 14 July 2025

Garmin has updated its line-up of watches for mariners with the Garmin Quatix 8, which starts at a cool $1199. —Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

The next two hours would be a race against time and Mother Nature as conditions on the lake rapidly deteriorated, faster than many locals and longtime mariners had ever seen. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025

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