sailor
Americannoun
-
sailors
plural
-
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
-
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 film depicted a sailor who was below deck, tasked with watching machines in an enclosed, lonely room while the war against the enemy raged outside.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
One sailor who reportedly jumped overboard is only 19 — practically still a kid.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, told AFP that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons "including sailor welfare."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
In another case last week, a sailor jumped off the ship and spent about an hour in the water before he was rescued and medically evacuated from the Lincoln.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
When he came back he had a jelly doughnut in his hand and a sailor hat on his head.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
Another source of strain: In peacetime, the ports were used for rest and recuperation by sailors seeking a break from an aircraft carrier’s crammed quarters and exhausting routines.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Reported talk of sailors debating whether to jump off the ship is overblown, he contends, recalling jokes that were made during his time on an aircraft carrier.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
But also credit a team of Norwegian shipwrights and sailors who built a vessel that speaks to both history and Hollywood.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Of the expedition’s 2,300 soldiers and sailors, 900 succumbed to wounds, illness or shipwreck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
A few minutes later sailors pushed the boat away from the dock.
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.
