on deck

1. Available, ready for action, as in We had ten kids on deck to clean up after the dance . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]

2. 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

On deck: Michelle Pfeiffer in a “Yellowstone” successor called “The Madison,” and Samuel L. Jackson in “NOLA King,” a spinoff of Stallone’s series.

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Guests danced on deck to a DJ and a saxophonist, while Formula One cars tore past.

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Mookie Betts, who bats right-handed, was on deck.

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The biggest defensive play came in the 10th, when Teoscar Hernández and Edman turned their relay play on a Nathan Lukes double to get pinch-runner Davis Schneider at the plate as he tried to score from first — ending the inning with Guerrero standing on deck.

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This week is the most important stretch of the current earnings season, with five of the Magnificent Seven stocks—Google parent Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Microsoft —on deck to report results.

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Related Words

• accessible 
• applicable 
• convenient 
• feasible 
• free 
• handy 
• possible 
• usable 
• vacant