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
Volatility eased on Monday, but investors still have May’s consumer-price index on deck for Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
“With many upcoming releases from some of the most beloved franchises in history,” Lessard says that box office revenue could outperform expectations given the quality film slate on deck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
François leashed them and brought them on deck.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
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.
