Meaning & use
purser
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An officer on a ship who is in charge of money, accounts, and looking after passengers.
Grammar: Countable: a purser, two pursers. Usually used with 'the' for the officer on a particular ship.
Patterns
- the ship's purser
- ask the purser for something
If you need to change your cabin, speak to the purser.
The purser kept careful records of every payment made on board.
He worked as a purser on a cruise ship for ten years.
nouncountableold-fashioned
An officer on a passenger aircraft who handles paperwork, money, and passenger comfort.
Grammar: Now less common than 'purser' on ships, but still used by some airlines for the senior cabin crew member.
Patterns
- the purser on a flight
- report to the purser
The purser welcomed passengers as they boarded the plane.
On older aircraft, the purser collected payment for drinks.
Word forms
| plural | pursers |
|---|
Common combinations
- the ship's purser
- The ship's purser arranged a doctor for the sick passenger.
- the purser's office
- Leave your valuables at the purser's office.
- serve as purser
- She served as purser on a cargo vessel.
- the purser on board
- The purser on board handled all the passenger accounts.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- purser's office noun
- The onboard office where the purser works and keeps documents.
Commonly confused: purser or purchaser? purser or pursue?
purser vs purchaser
A purchaser buys things; a purser is a ship or aircraft officer who handles money and passenger services.
purser vs pursue
'Pursue' is a verb meaning to chase or follow; 'purser' is a person on a ship or plane.
Practice
On a cruise ship, who would you ask about a problem with your onboard account?
Choose one answer.
The purser is the officer responsible for money and passenger accounts on a ship. A purchaser buys goods, a passenger is a traveler, and a porter carries luggage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “purser”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.