oarsman

American  

[awrz-muhn, ohrz-] / ˈɔrz mən, ˈoʊrz- /

noun

plural

oarsmen

1. a person who rows a boat, especially a racing boat; rower.

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oarsman British  

/ ˈɔːzmən /

noun

1. a man who rows, esp one who rows in a racing boat

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Other Word Forms

• oarsmanship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of oarsman

First recorded in 1695–1705; oar + 's ¹ + -man

Example Sentences

The oil on canvas shows an oarsman in a top hat rowing his skiff on languid waters.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2023

Their fate wasn’t discovered until 1808, when the captain of an American merchant ship anchored just off Pitcairn Island heard a local oarsman speaking “crisp and proper English.”

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2022

He'd hoped to be back as an oarsman within a day or two but he is still not in the best shape.

From BBC • May 1, 2021

Now I am drifting through a long afternoon, or beached like an oarsman who has run out of water.

From The Guardian • May 7, 2020

Shadowed sailor confronted murky oarsman like a levee of the dead.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson