freedom of the seas
noun phrase
: the right of a merchant ship to travel any waters except territorial waters either in peace or war
Examples of freedom of the seas in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the precedent is awful: The Houthis have upended freedom of the seas in a crucial area and paid a very modest price.
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Hal Brands, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
Instead, issues such as freedom of the seas and outrage at German atrocities spurred it to enter the fight.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
In the next two years, tensions escalated between the United States and Germany over violations of neutrality and freedom of the seas, coming to a head with the loss of American lives in the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 June 2024
Throughout the 20th century, the freedom of the seas was guaranteed by the two great ocean-going democracies: Britain and the United States.
—Jim Talent, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024
The stakes today involve not just control of undersea oil and gas reserves, fisheries, and commercial sea-lanes but also the viability of the troubled U.S.-Philippine alliance and even the global legal principle of freedom of the seas.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
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Hal Brands, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
Instead, issues such as freedom of the seas and outrage at German atrocities spurred it to enter the fight.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
In the next two years, tensions escalated between the United States and Germany over violations of neutrality and freedom of the seas, coming to a head with the loss of American lives in the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 June 2024
Throughout the 20th century, the freedom of the seas was guaranteed by the two great ocean-going democracies: Britain and the United States.
—Jim Talent, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024
The stakes today involve not just control of undersea oil and gas reserves, fisheries, and commercial sea-lanes but also the viability of the troubled U.S.-Philippine alliance and even the global legal principle of freedom of the seas.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Freedom of the seas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom%20of%20the%20seas. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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