waterman
Americannoun
-
watermen
plural
-
a person who manages or works on a boat; boatman.
-
a person skilled in rowing or boating.
-
Chesapeake Bay Area. a person with a general license to take any legal catch of fish and shellfish in Chesapeake Bay.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of waterman
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at water, man
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 commercial waterman won in the small boat division of the singles bracket with a time of 23 seconds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Around the same time, waterman Buddy Jones spotted Thompson’s boat drifting.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 26, 2022
He was a kind and emotionally present waterman I had found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
Kahanamoku was the ultimate waterman: His legacy includes popularizing flutter swimming kicks and spreading the concept of lifeguarding and water rescue to the masses.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021
Then he came in a few seconds later, to pick up the radio and check in with his best waterman friend, Kenny O’Leary.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
Lore holds that the first docking contest arose from watermen debating their prowess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Over the past six years, we’ve been working on building a network of watermen that will give the specific care and procedures to the fish that we’re looking for.
From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2024
The Dabney continues to pay tribute to the wonderful farmers, watermen and purveyors of the mid-Atlantic region who provide some of the best and most unique products in the country.
From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2024
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has worked with the state of Virginia and local watermen to remove tens of thousands of derelict crab pots.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023
Before they can read their school primers, watermen learn how to read the sky and to head for the safety of a cove at the first glimmer of trouble.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
