Showing results for "crew"

• past participle of crow.
• past tense form of crow.

crew

¹ American  

[kroo] / kru /

noun

• crews
  plural

1. a group of persons involved in a particular kind of work or working together.

   the crew of a train;

   a wrecking crew.

2. Nautical.

   1. the people who sail or operate a ship or boat.

   2. the common sailors of a ship's company.

   3. a particular gang of a ship's company.

3. the people who fly or operate an aircraft or spacecraft.

4. the team that rows a racing shell.

   varsity crew.

5. the sport of racing with racing shells.

   He went out for crew in his freshman year.

6. a company; crowd.

   He and his crew of friends filled the room.

7. any force or band of armed men.

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verb (used with object)

1. to serve as a member of a crew on (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

2. to obtain or employ a crew for (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to serve as a member of a crew.

crew ² American  

[kroo] / kru /

verb

1. a simple past tense of crow.

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crew ¹ British  

/ kruː /

noun

1. the men who man a ship, boat, aircraft, etc

2. nautical a group of people assigned to a particular job or type of work

3. informal a gang, company, or crowd

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verb

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

crew ² British  

/ kruː /

verb

1. a past tense of crow 2

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Usage

What is a basic definition of crew? A crew is a group of people who work together. Crew can also be used more generally to mean any crowd of people or as a verb to mean to serve as a member of a crew. Crew has a few other senses as a noun and a verb. The word crew is mostly interchangeable with words like team, squad, or gang. However, crew is the specific term used to mean a cooperative group of people that operates a boat, an airplane, or a spacecraft. In any case, a crew usually has a person who is the leader or the captain. The word crewmember or crewman refers to a single individual within the crew.

• Real-life examples: Boats are operated by a crew of sailors, airplanes are operated by pilots and the rest of the flight crew, and spacecraft are operated by a crew of astronauts. A building might be destroyed by a wrecking crew. A dance crew performs in front of people. Race cars are fixed by pit crews.
• Used in a sentence: The boat was attacked by Captain Kidd and his crew of pirates. 

In this same sense, crew is used as a verb to mean to be a member of a crew.

• Used in a sentence: I have crewed over a dozen boats since I became a sailor. 

Crew can also be generally used to mean any group or crowd of people.

• Used in a sentence: I bought drinks for Jayden and his crew of friends. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• crewless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• crews
  plural

Etymology

Origin of crew

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English crewe “augmentation,” hence “reinforcements, body of soldiers,” from Middle French creue, literally, “an increase,” noun use of feminine of Old French creu “grown, increased,” past participle of creistre “to grow,” from Latin crēscere; see crescent

Explanation

A crew is an organized group of workers. A crew might keep a ship sailing smoothly or pave a road smoothly. Either way, crew implies cooperation among workers. If you're hired as a member of a ship's crew, it will be your job (along with the other crew members), to keep the boat running smoothly, and the passengers happy and well-fed. Crews are usually a group of people who work together on a ship, airplane, or movie — but the word is also a slang term for a group of friends who hang out together — like a crowd or posse.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crew crews

FlyDubai has an in-house psychology division that vets first officers as they graduate to captain, according to a former pilot at the company and an active crew member at the sister carrier, Emirates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The FAA panel, composed of various internal experts, arrived at the determination that “because pilots retain full control of the aircraft, the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous,” the agency said Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

And when I met him, he was just one of the Dimples’ crew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

It will take 7 hours and 50 minutes for the crew to reach the ISS where they will be conducting experiments and research toward future missions to the Moon and Mars, according to Nasa.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

But the erratic Arctic temperatures plunged again to more than – 50°F. Three of the crew members returned barely coherent; the other four were unable to move, stranded miles away from the ship.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The glitch emerged from a routine cockpit software update and can occur when flight crews alter their planned flight path following a missed approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

It said those concerns should be evaluated and resolved before crews are released from the assignment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

He said he has worked on movie crews and ran an import business, among other jobs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Astronauts on those journeys may spend far more time away from Earth's gravity than crews currently stationed aboard the International Space Station.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Robot crews methodically worked the crops and fed the animals and operated the massive farm machines.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• band
• company
• corps
• crowd
• gang
• squad
• team
• troop