able seaman
Americannoun
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Also called able-bodied seaman. an experienced deck-department seaman qualified to perform routine sea duties.
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(in the British Navy and on British and U.S. merchant ships) a rating between ordinary seaman and leading seaman or boatswain's mate. A.B., AB
Etymology
Origin of able seaman
First recorded in 1695–1705
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.
The 97-year-old was a Royal Navy able seaman responsible for the ammunition on HMS Ramillies.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2024
Historians said the able seaman had come from a wealthy grazing family and trained as an accountant.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2021
I found Joshua Maloka, a twenty-six-year-old able seaman, in the base’s chapel.
From The New Yorker • Feb. 21, 2017
Billy, an able seaman, is impressed aboard the warship H.M.S.
From Time Magazine Archive
Her friend the able seaman was nearby, and he paused as he adjusted the canvas cover of the forward hatch to look out at the little girl’s daemon skimming and leaping with the dolphins.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
