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waterman

American  
[waw-ter-muhn, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tər mən, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun

plural

watermen
  1. a person who manages or works on a boat; boatman.

  2. a person skilled in rowing or boating.

  3. Chesapeake Bay Area. a person with a general license to take any legal catch of fish and shellfish in Chesapeake Bay.


waterman British  
/ ˈwɔːtəmən /

noun

  1. a skilled boatman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • watermanship noun

Etymology

Origin of waterman

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; water, man

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.

Project backer and renowned Native Hawaiian waterman Brian Keaulana has said artificial waves are useful for competitive surfers to train on perfect breaks that are sometimes elusive in the ocean.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024

Around the same time, waterman Buddy Jones spotted Thompson’s boat drifting.

From Washington Post • Nov. 26, 2022

He was a kind and emotionally present waterman I had found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2022

“It’s not an easy way of life,” said Robert T. Brown Sr., the president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association and a sixth-generation waterman.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2021

My father, like nearly every man on our island, was a waterman.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson