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
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The consumer backlash, which prompted Lululemon to issue an apology and scrub its campaign, is the latest example of how quickly Western brands can come unstuck in a country where nationalism has surged under strongman leader Xi Jinping.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) joined city and county leaders on Tuesday to celebrate the expansion of its LandCare program into Chester with a ribbon cutting ceremony.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Rip takes over as foreman, and Beth works on the business side of things much to the chagrin of Beulah’s son Joaquin.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
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After losing their cattle, Rip accepts a lifeline from Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening), who so far has been a major adversary, and joins her 10 Petal Ranch as a foreman.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The day shift also starts making factory-work jokes, with Rekha playing a perky do-bee who just wants to make the boss happy, and Lily adopting an agitator role, demanding workman’s comp and trying to spark revolt.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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In 2018, Rita Ferro succeeded the retiring Erhardt as the ESPN sales boss under a new title (president, Disney ad sales).—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The 36-year-old captain’s eyes were watering.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
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The Hurricanes came out roaring in the first period in this one as well, scoring three goals to the Golden Knights’ one by captain Mark Stone.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
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But new evidence from a witness to the incident has led to a fresh investigation and the placement of several police officers on leave, the police chief announced Monday.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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The second movie, which brought back the original director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, picks up 20 years later as Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs returns to Runway magazine as a features editor under Meryl Streep’s all-powerful editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Sayre defied his Mexican immigrant parents again by earning a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University instead of following his dad into railroad engineering, before earning a law degree from UC Berkeley.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Del Toro’s heartfelt speech lived up to the advance billing from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who introduced del Toro as a one of the modern masters of film.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The Israel Defense Forces announced the elimination of a senior Hezbollah commander who was accused of orchestrating the 2007 kidnapping and murder of five American soldiers.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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The crew consists of mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, as well as pilot Luca Parmitano and commander Randy Bresnik.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The series is created and showrun by Yalun Tu, with Marialy Rivas serving as lead director and executive producer.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
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Last week, guests including creative director Terrence O’Connor, gallerist Hannah Traore, and actor Yesly Dimate spent two days in New York’s Adirondack mountains.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Helmsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helmsman. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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