coxswain

[ kok-suhn ]

/ ˈkɒk sən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for coxswain on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who steers a racing shell.

a person who is in charge of a ship's boat and its crew, under an officer, and who steers it.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Sometimes cock·swain .

Origin of coxswain

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English cokeswayne; see origin at cockboat, swain

how to pronounce coxswain

The spelling pronunciation [kok-sweyn] /ˈkɒkˌsweɪn/ is almost never used.

Words nearby coxswain

coxofemoral, coxotuberculosis, Coxsackie encephalitis, coxsackievirus, Cox's Orange Pippin, coxswain, Coxwell chair, coy, coydog, coyly, coyote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use coxswain in a sentence

I looked behind me and saw that the officer, the coxswain, who only had to steer the boat, had fallen asleep.
Inside Seal Team Six by Don Mann Excerpt|Don Mann|December 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
With this coxswain he conversed long about the nature of his stirring and dangerous duties.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
This is the east pier watch-house; the marine residence, if we may so express it, of the coxswain of the lifeboat and his men.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Despite darkness and turmoil the quick-eyed coxswain and his mate had noted the incident.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne

Pike payed out the hawser, the coxswain eased off the spring; away went the boat, and next moment Pike had Stanley by the hair.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
A box near the coxswain a feet was opened, and a blue-light taken out.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for coxswain

coxswain

/ (ˈkɒksən, -ˌsweɪn) /

noun

the helmsman of a lifeboat, racing shell, etcAlso called: cockswain

Word Origin for coxswain

C15: from cock a ship's boat + swain

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

coxswain

Origin of coxswain

how to pronounce coxswain

Words nearby coxswain

Words related to coxswain

How to use coxswain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for coxswain

Word Origin for coxswain