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 of mariner

• 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

The United Arab Emirates' state oil company, ADNOC, said two of its tankers were hit by projectiles while transiting the strait, killing one mariner and injuring several others. — Spencer Kimball,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 14 July 2026

The International Maritime Organization said the attack killed two mariners and wounded 14 others on two of the tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, which were associated with the United Arab Emirates. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

My dad, a former merchant mariner and forever captain of the Wildflower, orchestrated the loading of the boat with military precision. — Lisa Liu Grady, Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2026

On a previous voyage, the captain—who is in his late fifties, with a young wife and child—pursued the gigantic, unnaturally white sperm whale known to mariners as Moby Dick. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026

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