noun

navy

NAY-vee/ˈneɪvi/

A nation's military force operating at sea.

The navy's warships travel in formation.

A coordinated formation of three modern naval warships at sea, with visible deck guns, radar masts, and matching national ensigns distinguishing an organized national military fleet from merchant shipping.

Etymology

Latin navigium meant a vessel; its plural supplied the idea of a fleet. That collective meaning developed into a nation's organized military power at sea.

In context

History That Doesn't Suck25:46

let's start with the Navy the nation's Sailors warm to the idea of women serving as early as 1908.

139: From Yeomen (F) to “Hello Girls:” American Women in World War I

More examples

Several navies joined the exercise.
She served in the navy for years.
The navy maintained a base on the coast.

Forms

navy · navies

naval adjective — Relating to a navy or its ships.

Similar words

fleet: A group of ships, not necessarily a nation's entire naval force.