crew

1 of 3

noun

ˈkrü 

1

a

: the whole company belonging to a ship sometimes including the officers and master

also : one who assists the skipper of a sailboat

b

: the persons who have duties on an aircraft in flight

c

: the rowers and coxswain of a racing shell

also : rowing

d

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

2

a

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

b

: gang sense 1a

3

archaic : a band or force of armed men

crewless

ˈkrü-ləs 

adjective

crew

2 of 3

verb

crewed; crewing; crews

intransitive verb

: to act as a member of a crew

Horwitz begins his re-creation of Cook's journeys by crewing on a replica of the Endeavour, Cook's first ship.

—Robert R. Harris

transitive verb

1

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

Crewing the vessel were three experienced sailors …

—Ron Arias

2

: to supply (something) with people (as for service)

"… you need to know at least 72 hours beforehand … to fuel and crew the plane, fly the plane over, give the crew enough time to rest," he [Erik Pitkethly] says.

—Emma Sheppard

Eventually, the production based itself in Stirling and Jankel filmed entirely on location … . The Screen Scotland Screen Commission helped crew the film with a majority Scottish contingent.

—screendaily.com

crew

3 of 3

chiefly British past tense of crow

Synonyms of crew

Noun

• team
• army
• platoon
• company

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

So far, season 11’s workplace dynamic and charismatic crew have elevated it above the low standard set by consecutive middling seasons across the Below Deck franchise. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026

While awaiting a helicopter, crews cared for the victim in an ambulance. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

Verb

Nearly 4,300 rocket launches are expected in the next decade amid NASA's Artemis moon program, demand for satellite deliveries to Earth orbit and crewed missions to the International Space Station. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

The vessel supports the testing and deployment of robotic and autonomous, crewed and uncrewed underwater systems, and undersea surveillance systems, according to a press release. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English crue, from Middle French, reinforcement, literally, increase, from crue, feminine past participle of croistre to grow, from Latin crescere — more at crescent

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1900, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Phrases Containing crew

• cast and crew
• crew chief
• crew cut
• crew member
• crew neck
• crew person
• crew sock
• ground crew
• motley crew
• pit crew

Rhymes for crew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• cue
• dew
• do

Kids Definition

crew

noun

ˈkrü

1

: a group or gathering of people

a happy crew

2

: a group of people working together

the kitchen crew

3

: a group of people who operate a ship, train, or airplane

4

: the rowers and coxswain of a racing shell