English Reference

Word

sailor

US/ˈseɪɫɝ/

UK/sˈeɪlɐ/

Definitions

01person on a ship

B1

n. a person who works on a ship or boat as their job.

n. a person whose profession involves working on or navigating a ship or other waterborne vessel.

“The young sailor spent six months at sea before returning to his home port.”

“After years of service in the merchant navy, the experienced sailor was promoted to the rank of first mate.”

Synonyms

marinerseafarerdeckhand

02recreational sailor

B1 · Sport

n. someone who sails a boat for fun or as a sport.

n. an individual who engages in sailing as a recreational activity or competitive sport.

“She is a keen sailor and spends every weekend out on the lake.”

“The local yacht club offers introductory courses for amateur sailors who wish to master the basics of coastal navigation.”

Synonyms

yachtsmanyachtswoman

03straw hat

C2

n. a stiff straw hat with a flat top and a flat brim.

n. a stiff straw hat characterized by a flat crown and a circular brim, traditionally worn by sailors or as summer fashion.

“In the old photograph, the men were all wearing suits and straw sailors.”

“The costume designer sourced an authentic vintage sailor to complete the protagonist's Edwardian summer ensemble.”

Archaic

Synonyms

boater

Etymology

Alteration of earlier sailer, from Middle English sailer, sayler, saylere, equivalent to sail + -or. Cognate with German Segler (“sailor”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English marinel, marynell (“sailor”) borrowed from Old French marinel (“sailor”). See mariner.

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

Collocations

sailors attemptingsailors to jump

Word family

Idioms

mouth of a sailor — The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities; a person having this characteristic.

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/sailor

English Reference