first mate

American  

noun

1. the officer of a merchant vessel next in command beneath the captain.

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first mate British  

noun

1. Also called: first officer. an officer second in command to the captain of a merchant ship

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first mate

One of them, the first mate on a shuttle tanker, said he had been in and out of Hormuz twice in the past month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

French authorities boarded the vessel in September, briefly detaining its captain and first mate.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

At dusk on the second day, about 75 Rongelapese crowded the decks and cabins of the ship, many of them huddling under a tarp the ship’s first mate, Martini Gotjé, had strung up.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

As captain and first mate, they say piloting their 75-foot schooner has only strengthened their brotherly bond, with their small expedition team serving as an adoptive family.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2024

There was no hesitation from the first mate, or from any of the crew as they fell to with a will, to bring the Astrea about.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham