Meanings
plural merchant navies
- A civilian maritime fleet dedicated to the sea transport of goods and merchandise; especially, such a fleet of any particular nationality.
Owing to its location at the entrance to the River Tyne, South Shields was of strategic importance in the Second World War, especially to the merchant navy, and the town was heavily hit by a Luftwaffe strike in October 1941.
2021 September 8, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Electric tramways at the heart of our seaside story”, in RAIL, number 939, page 57Synonyms: merchant fleet, merchant marine
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA civilian maritime fleet dedicated to the sea transport of goods and merchandise; especially, such a fleet of any particular nationality.
Translations
Dutch handelsvloot
- handelsvlootcivilian naval fleet
Finnish kauppalaivasto
- kauppalaivastocivilian naval fleet
French marine marchande
- marine marchandecivilian naval fleet
German Handelsmarine, Handelsflotte
- Handelsmarinecivilian naval fleet
- Handelsflottecivilian naval fleet
Greek εμπορικός στόλος
- εμπορικός στόλος (emporikós stólos)civilian naval fleet
Italian marina mercantile
- marina mercantilecivilian naval fleet
Polish flota handlowa
- flota handlowacivilian naval fleet
Portuguese marinha mercante
- marinha mercantecivilian naval fleet
Spanish marina mercante
- marina mercantecivilian naval fleet
Cite this entry
merchant navy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchant%20navy
“merchant navy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchant%20navy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “merchant navy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchant%20navy.
Source: merchant navy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.