deck

[ dek ]

/ dɛk /

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See synonyms for: deck / decked / decking on Thesaurus.com

noun

Nautical.

a floorlike surface wholly or partially occupying one level of a hull, superstructure, or deckhouse, generally cambered, and often serving as a member for strengthening the structure of a vessel.
the space between such a surface and the next such surface above: Our stateroom was on B deck.

any open platform suggesting an exposed deck of a ship.

an open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building.Compare sun deck.

any level, tier, or vertical section, as of a structure or machine.

flight deck (def. 2).

a flat or nearly flat watertight surface, as at the top of a French roof.

a floor or roof surface composed of decking units.

Meteorology. cloud deck. See cloud layer.

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

a pack of playing cards.

Printing. bank³ (def. 8).

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

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.

cutter deck.

a cassette deck or tape deck.

adjective

Civil Engineering. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or floor upon or above the structure.Compare through (def. 22).

verb (used with object)

to clothe or attire (people) or array (rooms, houses, etc.) in something ornamental or decorative (often followed by out): We were all decked out in our Sunday best. The church was decked with holly for the holiday season.

to furnish with a deck.

Informal. to knock down; floor: The champion decked the challenger in the first round.

OTHER WORDS FOR deck

17 bedeck, garnish, trim, bedizen, adorn, embellish; dress.

See synonyms for deck on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about deck

clear the decks,

to prepare for combat, as by removing all unnecessary gear.
to prepare for some activity or work, as by getting rid of hindrances.

hit the deck, Slang.

Nautical. to rise from bed.
to fall, drop, or be knocked to the ground or floor.

on deck,

Baseball. next at bat; waiting one's turn to bat.
Informal. next in line; coming up; scheduled.
Informal. prepared to act or work; ready.

play with / have a full deck, Slang. to be sane, rational, or reasonably intelligent: Whoever dreamed up this scheme wasn't playing with a full deck.

stack the deck. stack (def. 24).

Origin of deck

1425–75; (noun) late Middle English dekke material for covering <Middle Dutch dec covering, roof; (v.) <Dutch dekken to cover; cognate with German decken;cf. thatch

OTHER WORDS FROM deck

un·decked, adjective

Words nearby deck

decision tree, decisive, decisively, decisiveness, Decius, deck, deck-access, deck beam, deck bolt, deck bridge, deck chair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT DECK

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.

Where does deck come from?

The first records of deck come from around 1425. It ultimately comes from the Middle Dutch dec, meaning “covering” or “roof.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to deck?

undecked (adjective)
decker (noun)

What are some synonyms for deck?

What are some words that share a root or word element with deck?

What are some words that often get used in discussing deck?

How is deck used in real life?

Deck is a common word that has a variety of meanings. Deck is often used to refer to the surface of a ship or a pack of cards.

great, now I want a pirate ship with a deck made of trampolines for Christmas. #MacysParade

— Jake Holland (@jakeholla) November 27, 2014

What are the best family card games you can play with a standard deck of cards and kids in the age range of 8 to 12? 🃏

— Jeff Atwood (@codinghorror) September 24, 2020

A stranger called some kids rude names. I said to cut it out, so he called me names. Another stranger decked him for it. How was your day?

— Kim Baker (@kim_bak) December 18, 2013

Try using deck!

True or False?

On a ship, the deck is the large piece of wood that the sails are tied to.

How to use deck in a sentence

Don’t wait until your idea or pitch deck is perfect, she says, before meeting with a small handful of people.
‘Don’t wait to be perfect:’ 4 top startup tips from a unicorn’s founder and investor|Beth Kowitt|September 6, 2020|Fortune
War is a two-player game in which a standard deck of cards is first shuffled and then divided into two piles with 26 cards each — one pile for each player.
The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The wide deck and front suspension provide a bounce-free ride while the heat-treated brake means you’ll always be in control.
The best scooters for a smooth commute or cruise|PopSci Commerce Team|September 3, 2020|Popular-Science
This time around, we considered a number of experimental experiences, including interfaces where readers could shuffle the House, Senate and presidential forecasts like a deck of cards, or ones where users could sort of choose their own adventure.
How We Designed The Look Of Our 2020 Forecast|Anna Wiederkehr (anna.wiederkehr@abc.com)|August 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Last week, the decks were cleared for the world’s largest social messenger app to start providing payment services in India.
WhatsApp is a step closer to disrupting India’s fintech space|Prathamesh Mulye|August 11, 2020|Quartz
“Deck the Halls” was written back in the 16th century, when the English language was very different.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obama has latched on to the failure of the embargo to topple the Castros as justification to shuffle the deck.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Deck your halls instead with boughs of holly, shouting “Merry Christmas” (or “Happy Hanukkah”) well into the night.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anyone willing to threaten war over a joke is clearly not playing with a full deck.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror|David Keyes|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For starters, from a purely practical, all-hands-on-deck position, I say if you can do the job, you should keep the job.
Justice Ginsburg Shouldn’t Quit Just Yet|Kevin Bleyer|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
A few moments afterward he was seen dragging his own trunk ashore, while Mr. Hitchcock finished his story on the boiler deck.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Fancy that enormous shell dropping suddenly out of the blue on to a ship's deck swarming with troops!
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Maybe it didn't feel good to be on the hurricane deck of a good horse once more!
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
I'd much rather see what is going on than be cooped up below, and after lunch I told Bob I was going up on deck.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for deck

deck

/ (dɛk) /

noun

nautical any of various platforms built into a vessela promenade deck; the poop deck

a similar floor or platform, as in a bus

the horizontal platform that supports the turntable and pick-up of a record player
See tape deck

mainly US a pack of playing cards

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

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

clear the decks informal to prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat

hit the deck informal

to fall to the floor or ground, esp in order to avoid injury
to prepare for action
to get out of bed

verb (tr)

(often foll by out) to dress or decorate

to build a deck on (a vessel)

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

Derived forms of deck

decker, noun

Word Origin for deck

C15: from Middle Dutch dec a covering; related to thatch

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with deck

deck

In addition to the idiom beginning with deck

deck out

also see:

clear the decks
hit the deck
on deck

deck

OTHER WORDS FOR deck

Idioms about deck

Origin of deck

OTHER WORDS FROM deck

Words nearby deck

MORE ABOUT DECK

What is a basic definition of deck?

Where does deck come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is deck used in real life?

Try using deck!

Words related to deck

How to use deck in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deck

Derived forms of deck

Word Origin for deck

Other Idioms and Phrases with deck