English Reference

Word

cox

US/ˈkɑks/

UK/kˈɒks/

Definition

n. the person in a racing boat who sits at the back and steers. They also shout instructions to the rowers to help them keep the same rhythm.

n. the person who steers a racing shell and directs the rowing crew. Often used as a shortened form of 'coxswain'.

Examples

“The cox shouted at the crew to row harder.”

“Because the cox does not row, they are usually the smallest and lightest person in the boat to keep the weight down.”

“A skilled cox must balance technical steering with psychological motivation, ensuring the rowers maintain their stroke rate even when physical exhaustion begins to set in during the final sprint.”

Examples

simple

“The cox shouted at the crew to row harder.”

contextual

“Because the cox does not row, they are usually the smallest and lightest person in the boat to keep the weight down.”

complex

“A skilled cox must balance technical steering with psychological motivation, ensuring the rowers maintain their stroke rate even when physical exhaustion begins to set in during the final sprint.”

Usage

Often used as a verb ('to cox') meaning to act as a coxswain for a team.

Etymology

The surname has converged from several different origins; see Cox.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference