blue-water
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of blue-water
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Diego Garcia becomes more important as China expands its blue-water navy and establishes naval and air bases in the Indo-Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
The People’s Liberation Army Navy “has evolved from a coastal force to a blue-water navy signifying its ambition for global power projection,” the report said.
From Washington Times • Aug. 2, 2023
Navy warfare strategists working on arming the surface fleet for massive blue-water combat.
From Fox News • Jul. 17, 2020
Nowadays cascades of sciences, pursuits less romantic than blue-water sailing, and ranging from archaeology to microbiology, have essentially answered the other questions too.
From New York Times • May 14, 2019
Ay, ay, sir; that's blue-water philosophy: as deep as the sea!
From The Pilot by Cooper, James Fenimore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
