stevedore

1 of 2

noun

ste·​ve·​dore ˈstē-və-ˌdȯr 

 also  ˈstēv-ˌdȯr

: one who works at or is responsible for loading and unloading ships in port

stevedore

2 of 2

verb

stevedored; stevedoring

transitive verb

: to handle (cargo) as a stevedore

also : to load or unload the cargo of (a ship) in port

intransitive verb

: to work as a stevedore

Synonyms

Noun

• longshoreman
• dockworker

Examples of stevedore in a Sentence

Noun

on the wharves, stevedores were unloading cargo from the far corners of the world

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

His father was a stevedore and his mother an autodidact who aspired to something better than the prefab house where her family lived. —Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

Docks depended on a circulating pool of male maritime workers—crews of seamen and stokers who manned the tramp steamers, gangs of longshoremen, and stevedores who loaded and unloaded goods, as well as artisans and machinists who maintained and repaired the ships and trains. —Michael Denning, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2015

America dodged a sledgehammer on Thursday night, when striking stevedores reached a tentative agreement to return to work. —Dan Primack, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024

What do port workers do? Longshoremen, also referred to as stevedores, handle cargo from incoming ships. —Reuters, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish estibador, from estibar to pack — more at steeve

First Known Use

Noun

1788, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1862, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing stevedore

• stevedore knot

Rhymes for stevedore

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

stevedore

noun

ste·​ve·​dore

ˈstēv(-ə)-ˌdō(ə)r,

-ˌdȯ(ə)r

: a person who loads and unloads boats in port

Etymology

Noun

from Spanish estibador "stevedore," from estibar "to pack"