deck hand
Americannoun
noun
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a seaman assigned various duties, such as mooring and cargo handling, on the deck of a ship
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(in Britain) a seaman over 17 years of age who has seen sea duty for at least one year
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a helper aboard a yacht
Etymology
Origin of deck hand
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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.
His missions included rescuing several Naval aviators and one unsuccessful attempt to rescue a Navy deckhand who fell overboard in the middle of the night.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Todd Meadows, a deckhand on one of the fishing vessels featured on the Emmy-winning reality series “Deadliest Catch,” died after he fell overboard into the Bering Sea.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
In fact, said Bunny McDiarmid—then a 28-year-old deckhand sailing her first mission on the Warrior—they were hippies who happened to be very skilled at their jobs.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025
Experienced fisherman Joel Quince was 28 when he landed at Heathrow Airport in 2012, thrilled to have secured a job as a deckhand with TN trawlers.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2024
“You comin’?” a deckhand called to me, and I realized I was the only passenger still aboard.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Definitions 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.
