: one who rows especially in a racing crew
Examples of oarsman in a Sentence
the only oarsman in a rowboat designed for two
Recent Examples on the Web
Hundreds of refugees began rushing the rowboats; once those were filled, the oarsmen, worried about capsizing and afraid of being stranded, began beating people back.
—
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Elsewhere in Europe, graphic designer Tormod Fjeld uncovered Bronze Age rock paintings of an animal, a boat with oarsmen and several human figures while hiking in southeastern Norway.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
The main oarsmen, Don Hume (Jack Mulhern) and Rance, rarely speak, and the others hardly register.
—Amy Nicholson, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023
The story Sevigny tells takes place mostly in 1938, when an unlikely crew of two female scientists new to river trips joined forces with a would-be commercial boater determined to invent that industry and a rotating cast of oarsmen trying their luck through seldom-run rapids.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 May 2023
Founded by Friedrich Lürßen in 1875, the German outfit started off building racing rowboats for Bremen oarsmen.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2023
There was the methodical way UCLA’s oarsmen tallied victories in three other events on Mission Bay Saturday.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2023
Inspired by Tom Brown’s Schooldays, and remembering their own rambunctious running days at Shrewsbury, Rugby, or other schools, the young crew oarsmen formed themselves in 1868 into a winter club, Thames Hare and Hounds, the world’s first post-high-school running club.
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023
The oil on canvas shows an oarsman in a top hat rowing his skiff on languid waters.
—Catherine Gaschka, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2023
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Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Elsewhere in Europe, graphic designer Tormod Fjeld uncovered Bronze Age rock paintings of an animal, a boat with oarsmen and several human figures while hiking in southeastern Norway.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
The main oarsmen, Don Hume (Jack Mulhern) and Rance, rarely speak, and the others hardly register.
—Amy Nicholson, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023
The story Sevigny tells takes place mostly in 1938, when an unlikely crew of two female scientists new to river trips joined forces with a would-be commercial boater determined to invent that industry and a rotating cast of oarsmen trying their luck through seldom-run rapids.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 May 2023
Founded by Friedrich Lürßen in 1875, the German outfit started off building racing rowboats for Bremen oarsmen.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2023
There was the methodical way UCLA’s oarsmen tallied victories in three other events on Mission Bay Saturday.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2023
Inspired by Tom Brown’s Schooldays, and remembering their own rambunctious running days at Shrewsbury, Rugby, or other schools, the young crew oarsmen formed themselves in 1868 into a winter club, Thames Hare and Hounds, the world’s first post-high-school running club.
—Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023
The oil on canvas shows an oarsman in a top hat rowing his skiff on languid waters.
—Catherine Gaschka, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Oarsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oarsman. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oarsman
noun
oars·man
ˈō(ə)rz-mən 
ˈȯ(ə)rz-
: a person who rows especially in a racing crew
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