deck

noun

\ ˈdek

plural decks

Definition of deck

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a platform in a ship serving usually as a structural element and forming the floor for its compartments

2 : something resembling the deck of a ship: such as

a : a story or tier of a building (such as a sports stadium) the upper deck

b : the roadway of a bridge

c : a flat floored roofless area adjoining a house

d : the lid of the compartment at the rear of the body of an automobile also : the compartment

e : a layer of clouds

3a : a pack of playing cards

b : a packet of narcotics

4 : tape deck

5 : a collection of visual or photographic slides presented usually one after another as a slideshow Pompliano was on the job for a mere three weeks in 2015, but in that time he prepared a PowerPoint deck laying out what he believed were the key inaccuracies in the company's numbers.— Gene Maddaus Accompanying a talk with images is standard professional practice, but a poorly organized or dense slide deck can spoil a presentation.— Jeff Link

on deck

1 : ready for duty

2 : next in line : next in turn

deck

verb

decked; decking; decks

Definition of deck (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 obsolete : cover

2a : to clothe in a striking or elegant manner : array decked out in furs

b : decorate deck the halls with boughs of holly — English carol

c : to portray or present with embellishments

3 [ ¹deck ] : to furnish with or as if with a deck

4 [ ¹deck ] : to knock down forcibly : floor decked him with one punch

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about deck

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Choose the Right Synonym for deck

Verb

adorn, decorate, ornament, embellish, beautify, deck, garnish mean to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential. adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself. a diamond necklace adorned her neck decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design. decorate a birthday cake ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original a white house ornamented with green shutters , embellish often stressing the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament. embellish a page with floral borders beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness. will beautify the grounds with flower beds deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness. a house all decked out for Christmas garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food. an entrée garnished with parsley

Examples of deck in a Sentence

Noun

We stood on the deck and watched dolphins swim near the ship. A number of passengers had come on deck. a seat on the streetcar's top deck a cabin on B deck We sat in the lower deck. We ate out on the deck.

Verb

We spent hours decking the chapel with flowers before the wedding. He decked him with one punch.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Fifteen feet in front of me is a crack in the bridge deck that could swallow a Miata. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "What Happened When I Rode a Boosted Board From New York to Philadelphia," 27 Dec. 2018 The concerned families said they were forced to stay indoors to avoid the barely-dressed women dancing on the ship’s deck. — Fox News, "Royal Caribbean refunds passengers shocked by conference's 'crazy' burlesque cruise," 3 Oct. 2018 Once the scene cleared, neighbors helped clean the deck, KSDK reported. — Kaitlyn Schwers, kansascity, "After killing his wife, he stood over her body for hours on his deck, Missouri cops say," 13 July 2018 In the evening, the fog line can develop where the tower rises above the cloud deck. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "’Tis the season for ‘Dancing with Fog’," 12 July 2018 The official viewing spot, per the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, is the Hollywood and Highland Mall on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which offers a super wide-angle glimpse of the Sign from the fourth floor deck. — Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, "Aerial tram to iconic Hollywood Sign? Warner Bros. proposes major project," 10 July 2018 An Elgin home was left uninhabitable Tuesday after a fire badly damaged its rear rooms, attic and deck, according to the Elgin Fire Department. — Staff Report, Elgin Courier-News, "Fire damages home on Concord Drive in Elgin," 10 July 2018 This is accomplished via cryptic algorithms that govern deck construction. — Charlie Theel, Ars Technica, "KeyForge: The red-hot card game where every deck is unique—and unchangeable," 15 Dec. 2018 Even then, road decks and emergency exits sit several feet above the tunnel bottom, where water could surge without drowning people. — Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times, "What will the Highway 99 tunnel opening mean for bus routes, detours and tsunamis? We answer those questions and more," 12 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In the Marble Hall, there are three large fir trees decked out in crown and carriage ornaments, as well as ornate garlands. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Inside the Queen’s Annual Christmas Lunch at Buckingham Palace," 19 Dec. 2018 There’s also the Pacific Northwest Metropolitan Car Club’s cute little classic cars decked out in holiday decor. — Madeline Mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "Here comes holiday fun at Macy’s Parade in Seattle and Snowflake Lane in Bellevue," 21 Nov. 2018 Disney has said that the park will be a completely immersive experience, with guests interacting with in-universe characters, and staying in a hotel decked out like a starship. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Disney’s Star Wars park will come with original music from John Williams," 17 Nov. 2018 Yep, for tonight's Emmy Awards, the Riverdale star stepped onto the red carpet decked in her Frozen best. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch Dressed Like Princess Anna From Frozen at the Emmys," 17 Sep. 2018 Constructed inside of a ship, the labyrinthine installation is a series of rooms decked out in prismatic hues and touchable textures. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Inside the maximalist, kaleidoscopic interiors of Verner Panton," 4 Sep. 2018 There were blue demons, red devils and Esparza himself — decked out in a garland of barking mechanical puppies — all in connection with his solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, "Essential Arts: A wild procession, a female 'Tempest' and music's new sounds of protest," 30 June 2018 One look at West Aurora’s 6-foot-2, 318-pound junior defensive tackle decked out in full pads and uniform tells you that. — Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Armstrong: When it comes to recruiting, no doubt West Aurora's Denver Warren will go big," 18 June 2018 Khloé shared her daughter's name with the world in a moving Instagram post showing a picture of a room decked out in pink balloons, streamers, and flowers. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "True Thompson Already Has Her Own Instagram with 150,000 Followers and Counting," 17 Apr. 2018

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

History and Etymology for deck

Noun

Middle English dekke covering of a ship, from Middle Dutch *dec covering, probably from Middle Low German vordeck, from vordecken to cover, from vor- for- + decken to cover; akin to Old High German decchen to cover — more at thatch

Verb

Dutch dekken to cover; akin to Old High German decchen

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