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 conflict was sparked by Hezbollah targeting Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, breaking a 2024 ceasefire that in any case had largely failed.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Now that local leaders have cleared the way, CoreCivic can begin accepting detainees under its $60 million-a-year contract with ICE.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Just days into construction, their foreman called to report finding human bones in the ground.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Place, a foreman and driver for Camelback Moving, asked the guard what was happening.—
Sydney Page The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Initially premiering at the Midnight Screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Gangster Cop Devil tells of a police officer and a crime boss who reluctantly team-up to track down a serial killer.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
David will play his boss, Garner Taggert, who runs the Garner Taggart PI Agency where his son Mitch and Mickey are the main PIs.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pike believed the captain was from Engine 69, which would have been McIndoe.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
On Baywatch, the wild child Hobie Buchannon (Amell) from the original series is now a Baywatch captain, following in the footsteps of his legendary father Mitch (played by David Hasselhoff in the OG series).—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet the chief said the fire intensity from the new grasses is not as strong as from the native plants.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
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The chief of the AMIA investigative unit also issued an international arrest warrant for Ali Asghar Hejazi, a senior Iranian official described as a close aide to Khamenei who so far has apparently survived the attacks on Iran’s leadership.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Open positions include detention officer, recreation supervisor, certified medical assistant, psychiatrist, shift supervisor, assistant shift supervisor, master scheduler, locksmith, maintenance worker and human resource assistant.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
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And though the grill master in you may automatically want to put a firepit or outdoor kitchen under your new corner pergola, doing so could pose a serious fire or smoke hazard.—
Melissa Minton,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The release was accompanied by a statement from the commander of Ramat David Air Base describing recent missions flown deep into Iranian territory, including operations over the capital, Tehran.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Our commanders factor all of this.—
Major Garrett,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Robust vaccine schedule Erica Pan, California’s top public health officer and director of the state Department of Public Health, said the West Coast Health Alliance is defending science by recommending a more robust vaccine schedule than the federal government.—
Angela Hart,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Helmsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helmsman. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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