maritime

adjective

mar·​i·​time ˈmer-ə-ˌtīm 

ˈma-rə-

1

: of, relating to, or bordering on the sea

a maritime province

2

: of or relating to navigation or commerce on the sea

3

: having the characteristics of a mariner

Did you know?

The maritime countries of Portugal and England produced many seafaring explorers during the 16th and 17th centuries, many of whom sailed under the flags of other countries. Sailing for the Spanish, Ferdinand Magellan captained the ship that was the first to circle the world, charting many new maritime routes as it went. Henry Hudson, funded by the Dutch, sailed up what we call today the Hudson River, claiming the maritime area that now includes New York City for the Netherlands.

Synonyms of maritime

• nautical
• naval
• navigational
• marine

Examples of maritime in a Sentence

The country's maritime industry is an important part of its economy.

She's an expert in maritime law.

Recent Examples on the Web

The number of ships are at 20% of the pre-war average, according to a CNN analysis of figures from the UK’s maritime agency. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Complex international maritime law, competing ownership claims, ethical infighting among academics about how best to approach the undersea historical site, and the immense technical and fiscal costs of recovery have kept its bounty on the sea floor. — Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026

Saildrone has operated unmanned vessels for maritime missions since 2013, giving the company more than a decade of experience with autonomous operations in challenging environments. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

The $31 billion spending program Taipei unveiled is one of a number of efforts to respond, such as expanding live-fire exercises to include the use of first-person view drones and simulating a maritime blockade. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin maritimus, from mare

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for maritime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• mesenchyme
• overtime
• pantomime

Kids Definition

maritime

adjective

mar·​i·​time ˈmar-ə-ˌtīm 

1

: of, relating to, or bordering on the sea

maritime nations

2

: of or relating to navigation or commerce on the sea

maritime law

Legal Definition

maritime

adjective

mar·​i·​time ˈmar-ə-ˌtīm 

: of or relating to navigation or commerce on navigable waters