crew

\ ˈkrü

Definition of crew

(Entry 1 of 3)

chiefly British past tense of crow

crew

noun

\ ˈkrü

Definition of crew (Entry 2 of 3)

1 archaic : a band or force of armed men

2a : a group of people associated together in a common activity or by common traits or interests

b : gang sense 1a

3a : a company of people working on one job or under one foreman or operating a machine

b : the whole company belonging to a ship sometimes including the officers and master also : one who assists the skipper of a sailboat

c : the persons who have duties on an aircraft in flight

d : the rowers and coxswain of a racing shell also : rowing

crew

verb

crewed; crewing; crews

Definition of crew (Entry 3 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to act as a member of a crew

transitive verb

: to serve as a crew member on (a ship, an aircraft, etc.)

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Examples of crew in a Sentence

Noun

a skilled member of a ship's crew the flight's passengers and crew the ship's captain and crew A construction crew will begin work on the house next week.

Verb

She spent a couple of years crewing on a British ship. The ship was crewed by 12 men.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Fire crews have already knocked down one blaze near Mile 70 of the Sterling Highway, but four more are still burning. — Madeline Mcgee, Anchorage Daily News, "Unusually high number of lightning-caused fires on Kenai Peninsula not a danger to residents so far," 7 June 2019 Then the pit crew of coaches and communicators can come in and devise the best strategy for fixing the flaw. — Ben Lindbergh And Travis Sawchik, SI.com, "How MLB Washout Brian Bannister Became the Red Sox' Pitching Guru," 7 June 2019 Behind the front desk, three workshops stocked full of bikes in varying conditions are home to a crew of volunteers either honing in their own skills or teaching bicycle mechanics to newcomers. — Slade Rand, courant.com, "Hartford bicycle shop helps get workers back on wheels with ‘bike for jobs’ program," 7 June 2019 Mort Harris was a young man in a brown leather jacket piloting a freezing cold B-17 Flying Fortress with a 10-man crew during a bombing mission near Caen, France. — Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan D-Day veteran, 99, says he's not a hero," 6 June 2019 Fire crews contained the small blaze and began to clear debris from the fire at 1 p.m. — Alexa Díaz, latimes.com, "Bus catches fire on Silicon Valley freeway, CHP says," 5 June 2019 The entire event — from setup to breakdown — comes together via a cheerful crew of volunteers who donate their time. — Grace Dickinson, https://www.inquirer.com, "Huntingdon Valley’s June Fete: Rides, funnel cake, and 100-plus years of history," 5 June 2019 Police and fire crews responded to the scene about 10:30 a.m. and blocked part of Southwest Trafficway at Clark Street near the Old Westport neighborhood. — Robert A. Cronkleton, kansascity, "Man in car douses himself in kerosene and sets himself on fire in Kansas City," 4 June 2019 Howard County fire crews are battling a two-alarm house fire in Woodbine, officials said Tuesday. — Brittany Brown, baltimoresun.com, "Howard County fire crews battle Woodbine house fire," 4 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The agency has contracted with SpaceX and Boeing to fly future crewed missions to the space station. — Washington Post, "Long-distance trip: NASA opening space station to visitors," 7 June 2019 The book follows the story of Cal and Leon, two sons of astronauts who fall for each other amid the drama of the world's first crewed mission to Mars. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "The Gravity of Us," 8 May 2019 The Coast Guard originally placed a 1,500-yard safety zone around the mine after it was spotted by a state Department of Natural Resources crew drifting 400 yards east of the Brownsville Marina. — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, "Unexploded ‘device’ floating near Brownsville Marina – described as a mine – detonated by Navy," 28 Aug. 2018 It’s crewed by alien researchers known as the Ynaa, and the novel follows Mera, a Ynaa ambassador, and her human assistant, Derrick. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "All the science fiction and fantasy books we’re looking forward to in 2019," 30 Dec. 2018 Low’s pitch was accepted, and on August 19, 1968, NASA directors gave the Apollo 8 crew their new mission. — Ernie Mastroianni, Discover Magazine, "Apollo 8: Humanity's First Trip to the Moon," 21 Dec. 2018 Return to the Moon, Take Two This reusable spacecraft is not the first lunar lander proposed since Apollo 11, the last crewed mission to the moon, returned in 1972. — Anatoly Zak, Popular Mechanics, "NASA’s Return to the Moon Could Include a Reusable Lunar Lander," 23 Oct. 2018 The next crewed launch of the Soyuz is scheduled for December 3rd. — Mary Beth Griggs, The Verge, "Russia’s space agency reveals why last month’s rocket launch failed," 1 Nov. 2018 If these flights go well, the next crewed Soyuz launch would occur in early December and carry Russian Oleg Kononenko, Canadian David Saint-Jacques, and American Anne McClain to the station. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA chief says agency plans to launch crew on Soyuz in December," 23 Oct. 2018

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