deck

American  

[dek] / dɛk /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. (on a ship) a floorlike surface occupying one level of the hull, superstructure, or deckhouse and often serving to strengthen the structure of the vessel.

   2. the space between such a surface and the next such surface above.

      Our stateroom was on B deck.

2. an open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building.

3. any open platform suggesting an exposed deck of a ship.

4. a level, tier, or section of a structure, such as of a stadium or vehicle.

   We got excellent seats for the game in the lower deck.

   We took the elevator to the observation deck.

   I like sitting on the upper deck in those double-decker buses.

5. flight deck.

6. a pack of playing cards.

7. Digital Technology. a set of slides with text, pictures, or diagrams for presentation.

   I’ve put together a slide deck for the new hires, showing what each department does.

   We asked the consultant to put together a branding deck for the business.

8. a flat or nearly flat watertight surface, such as at the top of a mansard roof.

9. Also called cloud deck.  Meteorology. a continuous or fragmented distribution of clouds all sharing the same cloud base; cloud layer.

10. Slang. a small packet of a narcotic, especially heroin.

11. Printing. bank.

12. Also called rear deck.  the cover of a space behind the backseat of an automobile or the space itself.

13. Library Science. a level of book shelving and associated facilities in the stacks of a library, as one of a series of floors or tiers.

14. cutter deck.

15. a tape deck or cassette deck.

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verb (used with object)

1. to clothe or attire (people) or array (rooms, houses, etc.) in something ornamental or decorative (often followed byout ).

   We were all decked out in our Sunday best.

   The bakery window was decked with holly for the holiday season.

   Synonyms:

   dress, embellish, adorn, bedizen, trim, garnish, bedeck

2. Informal. to knock down; floor.

   The champion decked the challenger in the first round.

3. to furnish with a deck.

adjective

1. Civil Engineering. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or floor upon or above the structure.

idioms

1. clear the decks,

   1. to prepare for combat, as by removing all unnecessary gear.

   2. to prepare for some activity or work, as by getting rid of hindrances.

2. on deck,

   1. Baseball. next at bat; waiting one's turn to bat.

   2. Informal. next in line; coming up; scheduled.

   3. Informal. prepared to act or work; ready.

3. stack the deck. stack.

4. play with / have a full deck, to be sane, rational, or reasonably intelligent.

   Whoever dreamed up this scheme wasn't playing with a full deck.

5. hit the deck,

   1. Nautical. to rise from bed.

   2. to fall, drop, or be knocked to the ground or floor.

deck British  

/ dɛk /

noun

1. nautical any of various platforms built into a vessel

   a promenade deck

   the poop deck

2. a similar floor or platform, as in a bus

3. 1. the horizontal platform that supports the turntable and pick-up of a record player

   2. See tape deck

4. a pack of playing cards

5. Also called: pack.  obsolete computing a collection of punched cards relevant to a particular program

6. a raised wooden platform built in a garden to provide a seating area

7. informal to prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat

8. informal

   1. to fall to the floor or ground, esp in order to avoid injury

   2. to prepare for action

   3. to get out of bed

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verb

1. (often foll by out) to dress or decorate

2. to build a deck on (a vessel)

3. slang to knock (a person) to the floor or ground

deck More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing deck

• clear the decks
• hit the deck
• on deck

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Usage

What is a basic definition of deck? The word deck is used as a noun to refer to a floorlike surface on a ship, an unroofed porch attached to a house, or a pack of playing cards. Deck has many other senses as a noun, verb, and adjective.On a ship, a deck is a surface that acts as a floor that the crew is able to walk on. A ship can have more than one deck depending on size, so terms like upper deck, main deck, and lower deck may be used to tell them apart.

• Real-life examples: The RMS Titanic was a large ship that had 10 decks. A pirate captain may order a crewman to swab, that is, mop, the deck.
• Used in a sentence: I walked with the ship’s captain across the Promenade deck. 

When referring to a house, a deck is a roofless porch or platform that extends from the house itself. A deck can have many functions, such as providing a surface for outdoor furniture or a barbeque grill.

• Real-life examples: A house built in a place with frequent sunny weather might have a sun deck that is a good spot for sunbathing or relaxing. A home with a swimming pool may have a pool deck that connects to the house so people can easily walk to the pool.
• Used in a sentence: We sat on the deck and watched the fireworks.

A pack of playing cards is also called a deck. In the United States, a standard set of playing cards has 52 cards in four suits—spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

• Real-life examples: Poker and blackjack are games that require a deck of cards. A fortune teller often uses a deck of tarot cards to tell fortunes.
• Used in a sentence: The dealer drew the ace of diamonds from the deck.

Other Word Forms

• decker noun
• undecked adjective

Etymology

Origin of deck

First recorded in 1425–75; (for the noun) late Middle English dekke “material for covering,” from Middle Dutch dec “covering, roof”; (for the verb) from Dutch dekken “to cover”; cognate with German decken; thatch

Example Sentences

The result is a system designed to carry passengers from the ground to the world’s highest observation deck in one uninterrupted ride.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

They placed a deck brush on the ground in different positions and observed how she interacted with it.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

Dunn said the deck has been stacked against the Trojans all season and it’s forced them to grow stronger as a unit.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

This writing style works just fine for a corporate slide deck that is equally disconnected from the lived world.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

The Grootslang’s tail comes up from the deep, under the force field, and breaks through the middle of our ship, collapsing the sails and splitting the deck in half.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• adorn
• beautify
• bedeck
• clothe
• decorate
• embellish
• festoon