landlubber
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of landlubber
Explanation
If you've never set foot on any kind of boat, you're a landlubber, someone who's either brand new to sailing or is totally unfamiliar with it. The word landlubber comes from the obsolete lubber, which isn't a funny way to say "lover," but a term that evolved from meaning "clumsy oaf" to "inexperienced seaman." Back in the 15th century, lubber was also used as a verb, to mean "sail badly." These days, a new, inexperienced crew member on a schooner might be called a landlubber. If your brother gets queasy on a short ferry ride, feel free to call him a landlubber too.
Vocabulary lists containing landlubber
Life of Pi
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A Night to Remember
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The Golden Compass
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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.
The many pleasures of this exuberant memoir for the landlubber include learning about the world of competitive sailing, even if the information comes with less-enjoyable updates about the author’s bowel movements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
As an Army veteran, a backpacker and a landlubber, sailing had longed piqued my interest, but it seemed inaccessible.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2023
Thanks to fossils from places such as Wadi El Hitan in Egypt – aka “Whale Valley” - the surprising voyage of the whale’s landlubber ancestors to the sea is well understood.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 29, 2016
Geldof, by contrast, has the air of a landlubber, happier by far on a stage that does not sway under his feet.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 23, 2016
If there had been any irons aboard, they would have been occupied by the fumbling landlubber or scurvy swab who forgot his duties and made Dad miss the mooring.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
