sailor
Americannoun
-
sailors
plural
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a person whose occupation is sailing or navigation; mariner.
- Synonyms:
- seafarer
- Antonyms:
- landlubber
-
a seaman below the rank of officer.
-
a naval enlistee.
-
a person adept at sailing, especially with reference to freedom from seasickness.
He was such a bad sailor that he always traveled to Europe by plane.
-
a flat-brimmed straw hat with a low, flat crown.
noun
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any member of a ship's crew, esp one below the rank of officer
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a person who sails, esp with reference to the likelihood of his becoming seasick
a good sailor
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short for sailor hat sailor suit
Synonym Usage
Sailor, mariner, salt, seaman, tar are terms for a person who leads a seafaring life. A sailor or seaman is one whose occupation is on board a ship at sea, especially a member of a ship's crew below the rank of petty officer: a sailor before the mast; an able-bodied seaman. Mariner is a term now found only in certain technical expressions: master mariner (captain in merchant service); mariner's compass (ordinary compass as used on ships); formerly used much as “sailor” or “seafaring man,” now the word seems elevated or quaint: Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Salt and tar are informal terms for old and experienced sailors: an old salt; a jolly tar.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sailor
Explanation
A sailor is someone who works on a boat or ship — either for fun, a job, or while serving in the navy. If you want to be a sailor, it's good to start by learning to swim. If you work on a cargo ship or help to pilot a schooner in the summer, you can call yourself a sailor. You're also a sailor if you learn how to sail a small boat around a lake. Even though the boats that sailors work on don't necessarily have sails, that's where the word comes from — the verb sail. Before sailor was coined in the 15th century, people used mariner and seaman.
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.
See Examples For:
The helicopter crew brought the sailor to the Camarillo Airport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
In 1764, an English sailor named Samuel Bowen arrived in Savannah, Georgia, with a handful of soybeans, a souvenir from several years spent in China.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The sailor found far from the others has now been identified as Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop on HMS Terror.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Michael Gonzales, a sailor on the Petersen, said that there were days when he felt hungry, but other sailors said they always received enough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
A merchant marine officer named Frank Worsley, a part-Maori New Zealander who had been a sailor since the age of sixteen, was to captain the ship.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Radev said Bulgarian sailors had rescued the crew members from the second ship - including two who were injured in a fire on board.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
To attract crews for these risky trips, ship management companies are offering sailors double or triple pay and bonuses of up to $25,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The ships, jet fighters, Marines and sailors will arrive in the region by the end of November, the officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
My children’s faces, whenever they asked if the sailors were OK, made me wonder how reassured those stories really made them feel during prolonged separations.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The docks were already crowded with sailors and fishermen preparing for the day.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
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.
