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

• gob
• hearty
• jack
• jack-tar
• navigator
• sailor
• salt
• sea dog
• seafarer
• seaman
• shipman
• swab
• swabbie [slang]
• swabby
• tar

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

Titanic analyst Parks Stephenson, metallurgist Jennifer Hooper, and master mariner Captain Chris Hearn find evidence exonerating First Officer William Murdoch, long accused of abandoning his post. —ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025

Hazardous seas also prompted NWS meteorologists to issue a small craft advisory warning inexperienced mariners, especially those in small vessels, against venturing out into the ocean. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

Minor events regularly cause radio outages for mariners and short-wave radio users. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The drop poses risks for mariners operating in typically safe zones, potentially increasing the chance of vessel groundings or damage. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 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