merchant marine
noun
1
: the privately or publicly owned commercial ships of a nation
2
: the personnel of a merchant marine
specifically
: a member of a merchant marine
merchant mariner
noun
Jeff Moore, 32, a John Deere salesman whose brother is a merchant mariner and whose father is first mate on a tugboat, keeps a journal of each exploration.
—
Pam Belluck
Pam Belluck
Examples of merchant marine in a Sentence
a member of the merchant marine
Recent Examples on the Web
The volunteers met seafarers from India, the Philippines, Turkey and elsewhere, said Ricard Rodríguez-Martos, a Catholic deacon and former merchant marine captain who leads Stella Maris in this major Mediterranean harbor.
—Jalal Bwaitel, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
The global interconnectedness that both authors praise has enabled the rise of enormous private logistics conglomerates that now dwarf the U.S. merchant marine fleet, which is essential for the United States’ capacity to mobilize for military purposes in times of war.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Shackleton was an outsider, Irish, a merchant marine.
—Thomas Page, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
In the midst of World War II, the Sheen family gained a contract with the military to put their sealant on merchant marine ships leaving the United States.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for merchant marine 
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Jalal Bwaitel, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
The global interconnectedness that both authors praise has enabled the rise of enormous private logistics conglomerates that now dwarf the U.S. merchant marine fleet, which is essential for the United States’ capacity to mobilize for military purposes in times of war.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Shackleton was an outsider, Irish, a merchant marine.
—Thomas Page, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
In the midst of World War II, the Sheen family gained a contract with the military to put their sealant on merchant marine ships leaving the United States.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for merchant marine
Dictionary Entries Near merchant marine
Cite this Entry
“Merchant marine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merchant%20marine. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
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