Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun All of a nation's warships.
  • noun A nation's entire military organization for sea warfare and defense, including vessels, personnel, and shore establishments.
  • noun A group of ships; a fleet.
  • noun Navy blue.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An obsolete form of navvy.
  • noun A ship.
  • noun A company of ships; a fleet.
  • noun All the ships belonging to a country, collectively; in a wide sense, the ships, their officers and crew and equipment, and the department of the government charged with their management and control.
  • noun The men who man a navy or fleet; the officers and men of the military marine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A fleet of ships; an assemblage of merchantmen, or so many as sail in company.
  • noun The whole of the war vessels belonging to a nation or ruler, considered collectively.
  • noun The officers and men attached to the war vessels of a nation.
  • noun same as navy blue.
  • noun see Bean.
  • noun a place set apart as a shore station for the use of the navy. It often contains all the mechanical and other appliences for building and equipping war vessels and training their crews.
  • adjective Having a color of navy blue.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A country's entire sea force, including ships and personnel.
  • noun A governmental department in charge of a country's sea force.
  • noun A dark blue colour, usually called navy blue.
  • adjective Having the dark blue colour of navy blue.
  • adjective Belonging to the navy; typical of the navy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a dark shade of blue
  • noun an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
  • noun the navy of the United States of America; the agency that maintains and trains and equips combat-ready naval forces

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French navie, from Latin nāvigia, pl. of nāvigium, ship, from nāvigāre, to sail; see navigate.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word navy.

Examples

  • Associated Press/Mexico's Secretary Navy In this image released by Mexico's navy, sailors guard weapons seized after a battle between the navy and drug cartel gunmen following the killing of 72 migrants in San Fernando, eastern Mexico, Aug. 24.

    Mexico Takes On the Drug Cartels 2010

  • On Navy Day July 27, 2008 the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky spoke of a revival of Russian naval power over the next decade and declared that the navy would add six carrier battle groups to its complement of warships.

    News on www.kyivpost.com 2009

  • Right now our navy is the smallest it has been since the beginning of World War 1.

    Waldo Jaquith - RPV abandons pledge requirement. 2007

  • But she is clearly bitter about what she calls the navy's "" betrayal. ''

    Falling Out Of The Sky 2008

  • A predecessor of mine in the office of Chief Justice, the late John R. Cartwright, was fond of saying that the Supreme Court like the navy is a silent service.

    What Everyone Should Know about the Supreme Court of Canada 1981

  • That is exactly what the men in navy services have always done, and what they did before the war, when those songs were written; what the navy is always doing more than anybody else, because nobody can say that any human being is really at home on the sea.

    Songs of the Fleet 1923

  • I am not a naval man, but these are not questions for Canada to blink; they should be faced, and they point to this, that for the security of the territorial waters of Canada, a Canadian navy is required, that is, a navy whose primary duty is to defend her waters, although if circumstances permit, it can be employed on any sea for the maintenance of the Empire.

    A Legacy From the United Empire Loyalists 1911

  • Subject: pete s oh yeah, a oooo (4-0) rating in navy boot camp in orlando florida in

    Peter Sumaruck II 2010

  • What our army and navy is was splendidly demonstrated when our bluejackets marched aboard their ships before our drawn-up soldiers while Admiral Fletcher transferred the command of Vera Cruz to General Funston.

    Mexico's Army and Ours 2010

  • Two men climbed out, both wearing the company coveralls in navy blue — third shift navy blue.

    BLUE COLLAR BOYS • by Aaron Polson 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.