on deck
Idioms-
Available, ready for action, as in We had ten kids on deck to clean up after the dance . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]
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In baseball, scheduled to bat next, waiting near home plate to bat, as in Joe was on deck next . [1860s] Both usages allude to crew members being on the deck of a ship, in readiness to perform their duties.
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.
“This hasn’t happened as long as I can remember, so we’re definitely going to have to have all hands on deck to think about how we’re going to safely recover the boat.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Philadelphia police will enforce mandatory overtime during the "all hands on deck" period, Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, told ESPN.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Any good ones you had on deck that you want to share now?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Counting her out — or anyone else who has a weird semi-flop on deck after a great film — would be a mistake.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026
As I stand on deck, not knowing what to do, I watch the sails shred then heal, shred then heal above me, the scars on the fabric becoming as thick as the ratline ropes.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
