companionway

[ kuhm-pan-yuhn-wey ]
See synonyms for companionway on Thesaurus.com
nounNautical.
  1. a stair or ladder within the hull of a vessel.

  2. the space occupied by this stair or ladder.

Origin of companionway

1
First recorded in 1830–40; companion2 + way1

Words Nearby companionway

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use companionway in a sentence

  • The chinks were red with the outer glow, and a stream of mote-laden sunlight, aslant, came in at the companionway.

  • Dropping our knives and forks, we sprang up the companionway.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens
  • “I saw that figure come out of the companionway,” stated Jack.

    Boy Scouts in the North Sea | G. Harvey Ralphson
  • Just as Ralph made a dive for the mast and the afterhatch beyond, the captain emerged from the companionway.

    Ralph Granger's Fortunes | William Perry Brown
  • The noise of a crowd surging down the companionway and into the main cabin could be heard.

    Ralph Granger's Fortunes | William Perry Brown

British Dictionary definitions for companionway

companionway

/ (kəmˈpænjənˌweɪ) /


noun
  1. a stairway or ladder leading from one deck to another in a boat or ship

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