sailor

American  

[sey-ler] / ˈseɪ lər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation is sailing or navigation; mariner.

   Synonyms:

   seafarer

   Antonyms:

   landlubber

2. a seaman below the rank of officer.

3. a naval enlistee.

4. 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.

5. a flat-brimmed straw hat with a low, flat crown.

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sailor British  

/ ˈseɪlə /

noun

1. any member of a ship's crew, esp one below the rank of officer

2. a person who sails, esp with reference to the likelihood of his becoming seasick

   a good sailor

3. short for sailor hat sailor suit

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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

First recorded in 1540–50; earlier sailer; sail, -or ²

Example Sentences

During the inflation years of the early 1980s, sailors locked away for months on nuclear-missile submarines killed time talking up gold bullion and raw diamonds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Local tribes in the Darién Gap in modern-day Panama weren’t impressed with the trinkets the Scottish sailors brought to trade.

From The Wall Street Journal

Straight out of college, graduates from the country’s maritime academies can earn more than $200,000 as a commercial sailor, with free food and private accommodations.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Are people going to just spend like drunken sailors for this holiday season, and then next year it’s like, ‘Well, we did all our shopping then.

From MarketWatch

European sailors encountered the Canary Islands off the African coast in the 1300s.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• boater
• cadet
• diver
• marine
• pilot