sailor
Americannoun
-
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
-
any member of a ship's crew, esp one below the rank of officer
-
a person who sails, esp with reference to the likelihood of his becoming seasick
a good sailor
-
short for sailor hat sailor suit
Related Words
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
- nonsailor noun
- sailorlike adjective
- sailorly adjective
Etymology
Origin of sailor
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.
"He was a sailor and he loved coming on to the ferry as well with his kids and his grandkids," he said.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
He was 1 when his father, a Navy sailor, went missing in action during the Vietnam War.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
The sailor assigned to man the brakes in the cockpit and another who was towing the jet had to jump off at the last second.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
Earlier Saturday, Denmark's Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 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
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.
