coxswain

noun cox·swain \ ˈkäk-sən , -ˌswān \

Definition of coxswain

1 : a sailor who has charge of a ship's boat and its crew and who usually steers

2 : a steersman of a racing shell who usually directs the rowers

See coxswain defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of coxswain from the Web

From that spot, only the oar-less coxswain can see precisely where the vessel is headed.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Regatta in Boston only the beginning for San Diego Rowing Club," 18 Oct. 2017
At each stop, rowing’s main event features a nine-person boat: Eight rowers working in unison to pull a 65-foot vessel through the water as a coxswain coaches his or her team through movements that are so much more than meets the casual eye.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Regatta in Boston only the beginning for San Diego Rowing Club," 18 Oct. 2017
Chris Lemerand was a coxswain on the men’s rowing team at Michigan, and is now a sous chef at COI, a two-star Michelin restaurant in San Francisco.

— tom taylor, SI.com, "The Best Energy Gels and Bars for Running and Endurance Training," 16 Aug. 2017
As the coxswain, Jamir doesn't row, but gives directions to the eight rowers.

— michelle liu, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Rowing club brings Milwaukee Public Schools students into the fold," 21 July 2017
Instead, each royal was assigned to perch in a different boat, acting as coxswains, as an expert team took care of most of the hard work.

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "Kate Middleton Battles Prince William on the Water in Heidelberg, Germany," 20 July 2017
Weeks was one of eight rowers and a coxswain chosen for the men's eight.

— dan shalin, chicagotribune.com, "Ray Weeks makes U.S. Under-23 rowing team, looks ahead to Olympics," 12 July 2017
Yaz, in this case, is former Olympic coxswain Yasmin Farooq.

— matt calkins, The Seattle Times, "Washington’s Triple Crown in rowing well earned," 29 May 2017
Jessie Rapoza of St. Joseph High; Josie Flohr of Mater Dei; and the twins Rachel and Jacqueline Taeubel of Mater Dei – and a coxswain (Ryan shouts the instructions to her team) were one race away from repeating as champions in their division.

— keith sharon, Orange County Register, "How this Long Beach rowing team took 2nd in a national championship after their coxswain had a seizure," 15 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coxswain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of coxswain

Middle English cokswayne, from cok cockboat (a small boat) + swain servant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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coxswain

verb

Definition of coxswain

transitive verb

: to direct as coxswain

intransitive verb

: to act as coxswain

First Known Use of coxswain

1928

COXSWAIN Defined for English Language Learners

coxswain

noun

Definition of coxswain for English Language Learners

: a person who is in charge of and usually steers a boat (such as a ship's lifeboat)

COXSWAIN Defined for Kids

coxswain

noun cox·swain \ ˈkäk-sən , -ˌswān \

Definition of coxswain for Students

: the person who steers or directs the rowers of a boat

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See words that rhyme with coxswain Spanish Central: Translation of coxswain Nglish: Translation of coxswain for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coxswain

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