deck hand
Americannoun
noun
-
a seaman assigned various duties, such as mooring and cargo handling, on the deck of a ship
-
(in Britain) a seaman over 17 years of age who has seen sea duty for at least one year
-
a helper aboard a yacht
Etymology
Origin of deck hand
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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.
He works as a deck hand, helping to load coal onto river barges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
The deck hand went onto the deck to close the yacht's windows.
From BBC ● May 14, 2025
Chuck Bundrant, 79, an epic figure in North Pacific fisheries who started his career as a deck hand on a crabber and went on to co-found Seattle-based Trident Seafoods, died Oct.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2021
He eased the boat in and shut it down while deck hand Travis Richey grabbed a plastic whiffle ball bat with the end cut off.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 1, 2016
Captain is the general title, and is applied indiscriminately to the captain of a steamer, or to the deck hand on his vessel.
From The Expressman and the Detective by Allan Pinkerton
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.
