crew
1 Americannoun
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a group of persons involved in a particular kind of work or working together.
the crew of a train;
a wrecking crew.
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Nautical.
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the people who sail or operate a ship or boat.
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the common sailors of a ship's company.
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a particular gang of a ship's company.
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the people who fly or operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
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the team that rows a racing shell.
varsity crew.
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the sport of racing with racing shells.
He went out for crew in his freshman year.
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a company; crowd.
He and his crew of friends filled the room.
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any force or band of armed men.
verb (used with object)
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to serve as a member of a crew on (a ship, aircraft, etc.).
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to obtain or employ a crew for (a ship, aircraft, etc.).
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
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the men who man a ship, boat, aircraft, etc
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nautical a group of people assigned to a particular job or type of work
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informal a gang, company, or crowd
verb
verb
Grammar
See collective noun.
Usage
What is a basic definition of crew? A crew is a group of people who work together. Crew can also be used more generally to mean any crowd of people or as a verb to mean to serve as a member of a crew. Crew has a few other senses as a noun and a verb.The word crew is mostly interchangeable with words like team, squad, or gang. However, crew is the specific term used to mean a cooperative group of people that operates a boat, an airplane, or a spacecraft. In any case, a crew usually has a person who is the leader or the captain. The word crewmember or crewman refers to a single individual within the crew.
- Real-life examples: Boats are operated by a crew of sailors, airplanes are operated by pilots and the rest of the flight crew, and spacecraft are operated by a crew of astronauts. A building might be destroyed by a wrecking crew. A dance crew performs in front of people. Race cars are fixed by pit crews.
- Used in a sentence: The boat was attacked by Captain Kidd and his crew of pirates.
- Used in a sentence: I have crewed over a dozen boats since I became a sailor.
- Used in a sentence: I bought drinks for Jayden and his crew of friends.
Other Word Forms
- crewless adjective
Etymology
Origin of crew
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English crewe “augmentation,” hence “reinforcements, body of soldiers,” from Middle French creue, literally, “an increase,” noun use of feminine of Old French creu “grown, increased,” past participle of creistre “to grow,” from Latin crēscere; crescent
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.
It's not like Rangers folk will shrug in defeat - it's not exactly their style - but Celtic fans are an angrier and more frustrated crew right now.
From BBC
Ships on Saturday received Iranian radio warnings not to enter the strait, according to crews operating in the region and Aspides, the European Union’s naval command.
Last Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic command forces staged a rescue mission of an American crew member who needed urgent medical attention.
From Salon
Around two dozen crew members were setting up the pivotal scene.
From BBC
Land, skilled construction crews, and power are becoming harder to come by.
From Barron's
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.
