oarsman

noun

oars·​man ˈȯrz-mən How to pronounce oarsman (audio)
Synonyms of oarsmannext
: one who rows especially in a racing crew
oarsmanship
ˈȯrz-mən-ˌship How to pronounce oarsman (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of oarsman in a Sentence

the only oarsman in a rowboat designed for two
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Hundreds of refugees began rushing the rowboats; once those were filled, the oarsmen, worried about capsizing and afraid of being stranded, began beating people back. — Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024 Elsewhere in Europe, graphic designer Tormod Fjeld uncovered Bronze Age rock paintings of an animal, a boat with oarsmen and several human figures while hiking in southeastern Norway. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oarsman was in 1701

Rhymes for oarsman

See All Rhymes for oarsman

Browse Nearby Words

oarsman
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oarsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oarsman. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

oarsman

noun
oars·​man ˈō(ə)rz-mən How to pronounce oarsman (audio)
ˈȯ(ə)rz-
: a person who rows especially in a racing crew
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
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 Word Game 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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All