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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the precedent is awful: The Houthis have upended freedom of the seas in a crucial area and paid a very modest price. 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

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of freedom of the seas was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near freedom of the seas

Cite this Entry

“Freedom of the seas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom%20of%20the%20seas. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Legal Definition

freedom of the seas

: the right of a merchant ship to travel any waters except territorial waters either in peace or war

More from Merriam-Webster on freedom of the seas

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!