victory at sea
- noun
- /ˈvɪktəri æt si/
- The admiral was awarded a medal for securing a decisive victory at sea.
Examples
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A major victory at sea changed the course of the ongoing conflict between the nations.
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The documentary explored the strategies behind Britain's victory at sea during World War II.
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The fleet celebrated a victory at sea!
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His strategic planning led to a victory at sea against the enemy fleet.
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The historic battle was marked by a decisive victory at sea for the allied forces.
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The general celebrated the victory at sea as a turning point in the war.
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After months of skirmishes, the navy finally achieved a victory at sea against their rivals.
How Significant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a significant success achieved in naval warfare' is directly derivable from combining 'victory' (success) with the locational phrase 'at sea' (on the sea/in a naval context); there is no idiomatic shift. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows regular preposition + noun semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Victory at sea shows a simple picture: a victory, meaning 'a clear win', by ships on the sea. When an admiral defeated the enemy fleet and raised his flag, people called it a 'victory at sea', so today it means 'a big success in sea fighting'.