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.
"I don't think we have any more time to wait. This is all hands on deck."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
As in an ocean liner, where one enjoyed life on deck, the principal experience of Fallingwater was to be outdoors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Options traders are bracing for a very busy week, with June ‘triple witching’ and launch of SpaceX contracts on deck.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 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
When I came up on deck I saw we were within twenty yards of the ridge.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
