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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of helmsman
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
Each boat has a crew of five members, consisting of a helmsman, wing-trimmer, flight controller and two grinders.
—Jane Tyska, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 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
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
Each boat has a crew of five members, consisting of a helmsman, wing-trimmer, flight controller and two grinders.
—Jane Tyska, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 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 Church of England has been without a leader since last November when Justin Welby resigned over a child abuse cover-up scandal.—
Muvija M,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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The third is a firebrand conservative who could become the country’s first female leader.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Melchor was a foreman on a sugarcane plantation, and Luisa was a laundress.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
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Mike, now played with a friendly glower by the bald and barrel-chested Chiklis, is a construction-site foreman, married for decades to Eileen (Mary Stuart Masterson), with several grown children.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Palace captain was close to joining the Premier League champions before Palace pulled the plug on a £35million deal late on deadline day after failing to source an adequate replacement.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Multiple opponents had forfeited games to the Spartans after co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA citing her experience with Fleming.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While Mandy is thrilled about her promotion — and her popularity among viewers — Georgie is furious to learn that her boss, Scott (Christopher Gorham), is also her ex.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
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When Dan Jackson took the reins of the Austin, Texas, police department’s unsolved homicide unit in 2022, his boss approached the detective with a sense of urgency.—
Jean Casarez,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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ProPublica is not identifying the former station chief or the contractor to protect their safety.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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González had sentenced four young men to prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at a police chief’s vehicle and at an intelligence officer’s house in the town of Encrucijada, where Ferrer’s family lives.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bettany played English poet and writer Geoffrey Chaucer in the medieval action-comedy, which starred Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, who forges a new identity for himself as a knight when his master dies.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
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The show, starring Ricardo Gómez and Óscar Jaenada, explores the friendship between a shy young man preparing for the application tests for public office while working as a part-time taxi driver and a master bullfighter.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her commander called her the best battalion officer in the brigade.—
Arman Khan,
Them.,
3 Oct. 2025
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It’s command structure also transcends traditional nation-state borders by integrating Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi commanders.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Noah Fay, senior director of housing programs at another nonprofit that runs homeless shelters, said the desire to avoid disruptions for residents has to be balanced against the desire to keep beds full when unmet demand in Seattle is enormous.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
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Daryl Crouch was Green Hill's pastor from 2012-2021 and now serves as executive director of Everyone's Wilson, a network of churches that work to create spiritual and social initiatives in the community.—
Andy Humbles,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Helmsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helmsman. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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