swabbies

noun

plural of swabbie, slang
as in sailors
one who operates or navigates a seagoing vessel the pirate captain cried, "Ahoy, me swabbies, 'tis time to hoist the Jolly Roger!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swabbies
  1. sailors
  2. mariners
Noun
  • North Korean state media photos showed the girl dressed in a white dress and blazer walking alongside her father on a red carpet, touring the warship and posing with sailors together.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • For all its sailors’ dives and dockworker canteens, Hamburg is also a place of vast wealth, and of the material beauty that its shipping has built.
    — Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of sailors
Noun
  • Spanish authorities have issued recommendations for mariners intended to reduce risks to both the animals and people aboard vessels.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
  • At one point, up to 20,000 mariners and 2,000 ships were stuck in the Gulf, with only a few vessels squeezing through the strait each day.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 July 2026
Definition of mariners
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

swabbie
swabbies
swabbing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swabbies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swabbies. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of hobnob

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All