seaman

noun

sea·​man ˈsē-mən 

1

: sailor, mariner

2

a

: any of the three ranks below petty officer in the navy or coast guard

b

: an enlisted member of the navy or coast guard ranking above a seaman apprentice and below a petty officer

Synonyms of seaman

• sailor
• mariner
• navigator

Examples of seaman in a Sentence

a weathered old seaman who now captains a tour boat

Recent Examples on the Web

Boylan was originally charged in December 2020 with 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter, but after the defense objected, prosecutors refiled an indictment on the single count covering all the deaths. —City News Service, Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026

The seaman was patched up, and with his battleship sunk and his country abruptly at war with Japan, Germany and Italy, he was assigned to a destroyer. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2025

Remarkably, all three vessels that mapped California were, likely, Portuguese seamen’s property! —Paulo Afonso, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2025

Davies was born in Swindon, England, in 1944 to a hairdresser and merchant navy seaman. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing seaman

• able-bodied seaman
• able seaman
• merchant seaman
• ordinary seaman
• seaman apprentice
• seaman recruit

Rhymes for seaman

• beeman
• daemon
• demon
• leman
• niemann
• seamen
• semen
• enginemen

Kids Definition

seaman

noun

sea·​man ˈsē-mən 

1

: sailor, mariner

2

: a naval enlisted person with a rank below those of petty officers

especially : an enlisted person with a rank just below that of petty officer third class