sailor

[ sey-ler ]

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.

sailor

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈsailorly, adjective

Other Words From

• sailor·like adjective
• sailor·ly adjective
• non·sailor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sailor¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

"Kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor," she sings.

From BBC

Since the 1500s, sailors have told of sea monsters as long as their ships, and have even drafted maps that warned of areas in the ocean where such creatures resided.

From Los Angeles Times

You may never have heard of this single-celled alga, but sailors and fishermen know its effect very well: the P. lunula algae are the organisms that occasionally make the see glow blue.

From Science Daily

Marks was raised by his schoolteacher mother and merchant sailor father in Kenfig Hill in the county of Bridgend in south Wales.

From BBC

Hundreds of sailors were on hand for the event, and each of them stood at attention during the national anthem.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boater
• cadet
• diver
• marine
• pilot