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; see origin at cockboat, swain
Explanation
The coxswain is the person who steers a boat: the helmsman. If you’re going the wrong way on the sea, blame the coxswain. There are many different jobs on a boat, including captain and cook. One of the most important jobs is coxswain, which is the helmsman or steersman. In other words, the coxswain is the equivalent of the driver of a car. A coxswain is also the helmsman of a racing crew, like a rowing crew in a competition. The swain part is from a word meaning "servant," and cox is from cok, meaning "a small boat."
Vocabulary lists containing coxswain
Treasure Island
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The Boys in the Boat
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A Thousand Sisters
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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.
She was a coxswain on the men’s rowing team at UNC, and other than yelling really loud, she loves to thrift, bike and try new restaurants.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
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
George as a director, you are like a coach or coxswain.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2023
While the book’s release in 2013 brought a lot of attention to the program, women’s coxswain Grace Murdock thinks the movie will take things to another level.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
But it’s the least of what a coxswain must worry about.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
