stevedore

1 of 2

noun

ste·​ve·​dore ˈstē-və-ˌdȯr 

 also  ˈstēv-ˌdȯr

: one who works at or is responsible for loading and unloading ships in port

stevedore

2 of 2

verb

stevedored; stevedoring

transitive verb

: to handle (cargo) as a stevedore

also : to load or unload the cargo of (a ship) in port

intransitive verb

: to work as a stevedore

Synonyms

Noun

• docker [chiefly British]
• dockhand
• dockworker
• longshoreman
• roustabout
• rouster

Examples of stevedore in a Sentence

Noun

on the wharves, stevedores were unloading cargo from the far corners of the world

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

America dodged a sledgehammer on Thursday night, when striking stevedores reached a tentative agreement to return to work. —Dan Primack, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024

What do port workers do? Longshoremen, also referred to as stevedores, handle cargo from incoming ships. —Reuters, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024

In a nightmare version of the Gilded Age, bankers and stevedores alike attend vaudevilles, swig opium, and sign contracts with Mephistopheles. —The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024

The sailors had received little training as stevedores but were forced to load munitions — a dangerous task — as White officers made bets on which units would move the fastest. —Emily Langer, Washington Post, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish estibador, from estibar to pack — more at steeve

First Known Use

Noun

1788, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1862, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing stevedore

• stevedore knot

Kids Definition

stevedore

noun

ste·​ve·​dore

ˈstēv(-ə)-ˌdō(ə)r,

-ˌdȯ(ə)r

: a person who loads and unloads boats in port

Etymology

Noun

from Spanish estibador "stevedore," from estibar "to pack"