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• seaman
  seaman

  noun

  a person skilled in seamanship.
• Seaman
  Seaman

  noun

  Elizabeth Cochrane original name of Nellie Bly.

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

A seaman in a blue coat bent to check a row of barrels, and as he straightened up, even before he turned or before she consciously recognized him, Kit began to run.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Related Words

• mariner