Meaning & use
a deckhand
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
a person who works on a ship, doing physical jobs like cleaning and handling ropes
Grammar: Countable: a deckhand, two deckhands, the deckhand on duty.
Patterns
- work as a deckhand
- a deckhand on a ship
- hire a deckhand
He worked as a deckhand on a fishing boat for two years.
The deckhand tied the ropes when the ferry arrived.
She started as a deckhand and later became a captain.
Word forms
| plural | deckhands |
|---|
Common combinations
- work as a deckhand
- He worked as a deckhand during the summer.
- a deckhand on a boat
- The deckhand on the boat helped us with our bags.
- experienced deckhand
- They hired an experienced deckhand for the trip.
- deckhand job
- She applied for a deckhand job on a cruise ship.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sailor
- A more general word for anyone who works on a ship; a deckhand is a specific lower-ranking job.
- crew member
- Any person working on a ship or plane; 'deckhand' is only for ship workers who do physical tasks.
Word family
- deck noun
- the floor of a ship or the outside area on a boat
Commonly confused: a deckhand or dockhand?
a deckhand vs dockhand
A dockhand works on the dock or in a port, loading and unloading ships; a deckhand works on the ship itself.
Practice
The ______ helped the passengers get safely onto the boat.
Choose one answer.
A deckhand is a person who works on a ship and can help passengers. 'Deck' is the floor of a ship, 'dock' is where ships stop, and 'decking' is a material or surface, so none refers to a worker.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a deckhand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.