navy

noun

na·​vy ˈnā-vē 

plural navies

1

: a group of ships : fleet

2

: a nation's ships of war and of logistic support

3

often Navy : the complete naval establishment of a nation including yards, stations, ships, and personnel

4

: a dark grayish purplish blue

Examples of navy in a Sentence

A similar submarine is used by several foreign navies.

a career in the navy

The shirt comes in black, white, and navy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Levine said there’s a traditional navy and red peacoat in a wool felt with anchor buttons on it. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026

Mexico's navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán as a precaution and warned civilians and fishermen to take care. — Desiree Brooks, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Just as important as hull construction and final assembly is the network of machine shops that source and construct critical equipment needed to sustain a combat-ready navy. — George Whittier, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Larger underwater drones could give navies more ways to maintain a presence across wide areas or monitor critical sea routes, though the September test alone does not establish how Excalibur would perform on such missions. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English navie, from Anglo-French, from Latin navigia ships, from navigare

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing navy

• master chief petty officer of the navy
• navy bean
• navy blue
• navy yard

Rhymes for navy

• gravy
• wavy

Kids Definition

navy

noun

na·​vy ˈnā-vē 

plural navies

1

: a fleet of ships

2

: a nation's warships

3

often capitalized : a nation's complete equipment and organization for sea warfare

4

: a dark purplish blue