seaman

¹ American  

[see-muhn] / ˈsi mən /

noun

plural

seamen

1. a person skilled in seamanship.

2. a person whose trade or occupation is assisting in the handling, sailing, and navigating of a ship during a voyage, especially one below the rank of officer; sailor.

3. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. an enlisted person ranking below petty officer.

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Seaman ² American  

[see-muhn] / ˈsi mən /

noun

1. Elizabeth Cochrane original name of Nellie Bly.

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seaman British  

/ ˈsiːmən /

noun

1. a rating trained in seamanship as opposed to electrical engineering, etc

2. a man who serves as a sailor

3. a person skilled in seamanship

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Related Words

See sailor.

Other Word Forms

• seaman-like adjective
• seamanly adjective
• superseaman noun

Etymology

Origin of seaman

First recorded before 900; Middle English seeman, Old English sǣmann. See sea, man

Example Sentences

"We don't have enough water on board right now. We got food a few days back," said one Indian seaman stuck in a small refuelling boat off Iraq, within sight of the Iranian shore.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Opening the case for the prosecution, Tom Little KC said the trial was about "the entirely avoidable death of a seaman".

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

All told, 89 merchant vessels and more than 2,700 Allied seaman perished in the Arctic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Back outside, with a view of the port and the sunlit open sea, we met a merchant seaman, relaxing on a bench, who told us his son worked for the New York Times.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

The master cursed and shouted that he would not: “A wizard aboard, and I the best seaman of the Trade, and this the handiest ship I ever sailed—turn back?”

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• mariner