definitions

crew

1
[ kroo ]
/ kru /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crew ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object)

to serve as a member of a crew on (a ship, aircraft, etc.).
to obtain or employ a crew for (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to serve as a member of a crew.

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RELATED WORDS

corps, crowd, company, band, squad, troop, team, gang, set, cluster, troupe, bunch, horde, retinue, posse, swarm, lot, party, bevy, faction

Nearby words

crevalle jack, crevasse, creve coeur, crevice, crevicular, crew, crew chief, crew cut, crew neck, crew sock, crewe

Origin of crew

1
1425–75; late Middle English crewe augmentation, hence reinforcements, body of soldiers < Middle French creue, literally, increase, noun use of feminine of Old French creu, past participle of creistre to grow < Latin crēscere; see crescent

Related forms

crew·less, adjective

Usage note

See collective noun.

Definition for crew (2 of 3)

crew

2
[ kroo ]
/ kru /

verb

a simple past tense of crow2.

Definition for crew (3 of 3)

crow

2
[ kroh ]
/ kroʊ /

verb (used without object), crowed or for 1, (especially British), crew; crowed; crow·ing.

to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed by over).
to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.

noun

the characteristic cry of a rooster.
an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Origin of crow

2
before 1000; Middle English crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow1

Related forms

crow·er, nouncrow·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crew

British Dictionary definitions for crew (1 of 5)

crew

1
/ (kruː) /

noun (sometimes functioning as plural)

the men who man a ship, boat, aircraft, etc
nautical a group of people assigned to a particular job or type of work
informal a gang, company, or crowd

verb

to serve on (a ship) as a member of the crew

Word Origin for crew

C15 crue (military) reinforcement, from Old French creue augmentation, from Old French creistre to increase, from Latin crescere

British Dictionary definitions for crew (2 of 5)

crew

2
/ (kruː) /

verb

a past tense of crow 2

British Dictionary definitions for crew (3 of 5)

Crow

/ (krəʊ) /

noun

plural Crows or Crow a member of a Native American people living in E Montana
the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family

British Dictionary definitions for crew (4 of 5)

crow

1
/ (krəʊ) /

noun

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai

British Dictionary definitions for crew (5 of 5)

crow

2
/ (krəʊ) /

verb (intr)

(past tense crowed or crew) to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock
(often foll by over) to boast one's superiority
(esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

noun

the act or an instance of crowing

Derived Forms

crower, nouncrowingly, adverb

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien
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

Idioms and Phrases with crew

crow

In addition to the idiom beginning with crow

  • crown jewels
  • crow over

also see:

  • as the crow flies
  • eat crow
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.