bosun

American

[boh-suhn] / ˈboʊ sən /

noun

a variant of boatswain.

bosun British

/ ˈbəʊsən /

noun

nautical a variant spelling of boatswain

"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

Etymology

Origin of bosun

First recorded in 1865–70

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.

Mr Kweku works as a bosun - an officer in charge of equipment and the crew.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2023

In 2010, Robin Black received a call from the captain of the £15m sailing superyacht Burrasca, on which Black’s son Will was bosun, or officer in charge of crew and equipment.

From The Guardian • May 26, 2018

We have, one of the ship officers is called a bosun, B-O-S-U-N.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2017

The bosun, Josh Scornavacchi, was rescued from the Atlantic when the HMS Bounty sank off North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2016

No sentry on the gangplank, no bosun on the bridge, not a light anywhere.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023