jack-tars

noun

plural of jack-tar
as in sailors
one who operates or navigates a seagoing vessel a jack-tar swabbing the deck under the critical eye of the first mate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jack-tars
  1. sailors
  2. mariners
  3. navigators
Noun
  • Two American sailors and their two dogs were rescued after five months at sea in the Pacific in 2017.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The system is designed to help the Navy detect, locate, and classify underwater mines remotely, allowing sailors to conduct mine countermeasure (MCM) operations from safer stand-off distances.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sailors
Noun
  • According to family history, DaCosta Levy’s family lineage traced to Portugal, where his ancestors had been mariners — almost certainly Sephardic Jews who scattered across the Atlantic world after the Inquisition.
    — Zachary Kranc, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Mexican navy urged mariners and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution, citing high waves, heavy rain and the risk of rising rivers, flooding and landslides.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of mariners
Noun
  • That initiative pairs law enforcement with community navigators and credible messengers to engage at-risk young people and their families.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Celestial navigators who do this will need to account for the growing difference between UTC and UT1 when determining their precise position on Earth.
    — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of navigators
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

jack-tar
jack-tars
jack (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jack-tars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jack-tars. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All