seaman

noun

sea·​man ˈsē-mən 

1

: sailor, mariner

2

a

: any of the three ranks below petty officer in the navy or coast guard

b

: an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a seaman apprentice and below a petty officer

Synonyms

• gob
• hearty
• jack
• jack-tar
• mariner
• navigator
• sailor
• salt
• sea dog
• seafarer
• shipman
• swab
• swabbie [slang]
• swabby
• tar

Examples of seaman in a Sentence

a weathered old seaman who now captains a tour boat

Recent Examples on the Web

The year is 1600 and a stubborn British seaman piloting a Dutch ship washes ashore in Japan. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024

The pilot of a ferry and his supervisor were each sentenced to more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to seaman’s manslaughter in connection to the 2003 crash of the Staten Island Ferry, which killed 11 people. —Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2024

On the morning of D-Day, the English seamen were issued with cream duffle coats, which by the end of the day were blood red. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024

Boylan, who had not ordered a roving night watch as people slept, was convicted in 2023 of seaman’s manslaughter and sentenced in May to four years in federal prison. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing seaman

• able-bodied seaman
• able seaman
• merchant seaman
• ordinary seaman
• seaman apprentice
• seaman recruit

Kids Definition

seaman

noun

sea·​man ˈsē-mən 

1

: sailor, mariner

2

: a naval enlisted person with a rank below those of petty officers

especially : an enlisted person with a rank just below that of petty officer third class