coxswain
Americannoun
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a person who steers a racing shell.
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a person who is in charge of a ship's boat and its crew, under an officer, and who steers it.
noun
Pronunciation
The spelling pronunciation is almost never used.
Etymology
Origin of coxswain
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English cokeswayne; cockboat, swain
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.
Coroner Monica Chow said on Wednesday that the crash happened because of gross negligence by the coxswain from each vessel.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
He likened Ambriz’s job to that of a coxswain in crew, getting multiple participants, with their own “fiefdoms and lease lines,” rowing in the same direction.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2024
George as a director, you are like a coach or coxswain.
From Salon • Dec. 25, 2023
It's a year that has pushed coxswain Kennedy - a Paralympic champion in the mixed coxed four - harder than any race.
From BBC • May 16, 2023
Like Ulbrickson, Ebright grew up in Seattle, attended the University of Washington, and began his rowing life there in 1915, as coxswain.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
