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.
“It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
News then came through that local emergency services had been deployed to an "all hands on deck" situation.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
More investment in packaging is on deck as companies like TSMC, which reports quarterly results on Thursday, work with customers to push chip-making limits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Or, be sure you have a friend on deck who is willing to attend should the other person cancel.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
Then he wiped his eyes, straightened his back, and went up on deck to say good-by to Admiral Drake.
From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
