as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
had a complaint and demanded to talk to the helmsman of this vast construction project, not some underling
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Recent Examples of helmsman
Burling, at 26, is the youngest helmsman to win sailing’s greatest prize in a competition that dates to 1851.
2021 — Tour de France: The largest pile up in Tour history is caused by a spectator with a sign during Stage 1.
—
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
The Australian Spithill is a former skipper and helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing, winning the America’s Cup in 2010, defending the cup twice, both times against Emirates Team New Zealand, first successfully in 2013, and unsuccessfully in 2017.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The helmsman, feeling swells beneath the vessel, gleans the proper heading, even in the dark.
—The Conversation, 14 May 2025
The umpires on the water will make subjective judgment calls that include deciding whether a collision was avoidable—that is, determining if the helmsman of one boat gave the other room and opportunity to maneuver to avoid the collision.
—Stan Honey, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Aug. 2013
See All Example Sentences for helmsman
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
The Australian Spithill is a former skipper and helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing, winning the America’s Cup in 2010, defending the cup twice, both times against Emirates Team New Zealand, first successfully in 2013, and unsuccessfully in 2017.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The helmsman, feeling swells beneath the vessel, gleans the proper heading, even in the dark.
—The Conversation, 14 May 2025
The umpires on the water will make subjective judgment calls that include deciding whether a collision was avoidable—that is, determining if the helmsman of one boat gave the other room and opportunity to maneuver to avoid the collision.
—Stan Honey, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Aug. 2013
See All Example Sentences for helmsman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helmsman
Noun
-
The playoff leader in goals, Howden had a beautiful tip on a shot by Theodore for his 11th of the playoffs and perhaps his most important in Game 1.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
In 1940, French President General Charles de Gaulle checked in to conduct war meetings with US and British leaders.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Sting plays Jackie White, a shipyard foreman whose health is deteriorating at the moment his community needs him most.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Assuming, of course, those staffers don’t emulate Pelley and strongly and sharply disagree or challenge their boss in an internal staff meeting.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The space includes table football, board and video games, and staff can arrange certain special activities of which the parents of the youngsters involved might be more than a little jealous, among them sushi masterclasses with Mitsuru Tsukada, the boss of Izumi.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
What followed was eight straight points for the Knicks captain, but the Spurs took a seven-point advantage into halftime.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Owner Conner Mitchell, former manager Taylor Grant, boat owner Gilmer Grant and boat captain Cody Martin were all involved in catching local fish such as yellowtail, rockfish and Pacific tuna.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
But the strength wasn’t just because of Target’s turnaround efforts, as finance chief James Lee acknowledged higher tax refunds helped to fuel spending.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
-
About 80 tropical waves are produced each year in the Atlantic basin, Christopher Landsea, chief of the center's tropical analysis and forecast branch, previously told USA TODAY.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The hotel offers an exclusive excursion to the nearby home of the late master perfumer Serge Lutens, which is not open to the public and does not allow photos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Judith graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the Ohio State University and later earned a master’s degree at Northwestern University.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Because the Russian commanders keep attacking anyway, the Ukrainians are killing and wounding thousands of enemy soldiers, perhaps as many as 30,000, every month.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
During launch and landing, when the seats were assembled, to the left of the entrance was the seat of the pilot (NASA’s Victor Glover) and commander (NASA’s Reid Wiseman).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Amtrak police responded to Sunday’s stabbing, the company’s communications director told CNN, and an investigation is underway.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense in a nearby southern region, said more than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies sustained bruises and some fainted in panic at different elementary and high schools.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Helmsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helmsman. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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