deck

1 of 2

noun

ˈdek 

plural decks

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

3

a

: a pack or set 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

… 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

deck

2 of 2

verb

decked; decking; decks

transitive verb

1

obsolete : cover

2

a

: to clothe in a striking or elegant manner : array

decked out in furs

b

: decorate

… glimpses were caught of Christmas trees, with people decking them by firelight …

—Booth Tarkington

c

: to portray or present with embellishments

3

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

4

[deck entry 1] : to knock down forcibly : floor

decked him with one punch

Phrases

on deck

1

: ready for duty

2

: next in line : next in turn

Synonyms of deck

Noun

• balcony
• porch
• terrace

Verb

• decorate
• adorn
• drape
• trim

Choose the Right Synonym for deck

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

Such operations often involve dozens of aircraft cycling through launch and recovery, with fuel and munitions being moved across steel decks, and night operations requiring precise choreography. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025

The hiring of former catcher Kurt Suzuki, who spent the past two seasons as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian, clears the decks to get the A/C figured out. —Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Verb

Trex — The decking and railing products manufacturer tumbled 29% after slashing its full-year sales outlook due to weak demand. —Fred Imbert, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025

Soon, resorts across the region will deck their halls — and cabanas — with holiday menus, twinkling lights and family-friendly festivities that make staying close to home feel like a gift in itself. —David Dickstein, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1521, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deck

• all-hands-on-deck
• deck chair
• deck shoe
• deck tennis
• double-deck
• flight deck
• hit the deck
• observation deck
• orlop deck
• play with a full deck
• poop deck
• promenade deck
• restacked the deck/odds
• tape deck
• weather deck
• well deck

Rhymes for deck

• beck
• breck
• check
• cheque
• czech
• fleck
• keck
• mech
• neck
• peck
• reck
• sec

Kids Definition

deck

1 of 2 noun

ˈdek 

1

: a platform extending from side to side in a ship and forming a floor

2

a

: a flat structure resembling the deck of a ship

b

: a flat floored roofless area adjoining a house

3

: a pack of playing cards

deck

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to clothe in a fine and impressive way : array

decked out in a new suit

b

: decorate sense 1

2

: to provide (as a ship) with a deck