naval

adjective

na·​val ˈnā-vəl 

1

obsolete : of or relating to ships or shipping

2

a

: of or relating to a navy

b

: consisting of or involving warships

Examples of naval in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the waters off San Diego — as opposed to Los Angeles, say, or San Francisco — make a lot of sense, because the city hosts a pretty important naval installation. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 10 Apr. 2026

These systems are part of a broader shift toward unmanned naval capabilities, with sea drones reportedly being used in attacks on Russian naval assets. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026

Iran signaled interest in the area through limited naval activity in April 2015, when Iranian naval officials said two destroyers had reached the entrance of Bab el-Mandeb, describing their mission as protecting commercial shipping. —Tiago Ventura, Time, 9 Apr. 2026

There a fleet of naval ships will be waiting to recover the astronauts. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin navalis, from navis ship

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing naval

• chief of naval operations
• naval architect
• naval stores

Rhymes for naval

• navel
• primaeval

Kids Definition

naval

adjective

na·​val ˈnā-vəl 

: of or relating to a navy or warships