deck

[ dek ]

/ dɛk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR deck ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nautical.

a floorlike surface wholly or partially occupying one level of a hull, superstructure, or deckhouse, generally cambered, and often serving as a member for strengthening the structure of a vessel.
the space between such a surface and the next such surface above: Our stateroom was on B deck.

any open platform suggesting an exposed deck of a ship.

an open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building. Compare sun deck.

any level, tier, or vertical section, as of a structure or machine.

flight deck(def 2).

a flat or nearly flat watertight surface, as at the top of a French roof.

a floor or roof surface composed of decking units.

Meteorology. cloud deck. See cloud layer.

Slang. a small packet of a narcotic, especially heroin.

a pack of playing cards.

Printing. bank³(def 8).

Also called rear deck. the cover of a space behind the backseat of an automobile or the space itself.

Library Science. a level of book shelving and associated facilities in the stacks of a library, as one of a series of floors or tiers.

cutter deck.

a cassette deck or tape deck.

adjective

Civil Engineering. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or floor upon or above the structure. Compare through(def 22).

verb (used with object)

to clothe or attire (people) or array (rooms, houses, etc.) in something ornamental or decorative (often followed by out): We were all decked out in our Sunday best. The church was decked with holly for the holiday season.

to furnish with a deck.

Informal. to knock down; floor: The champion decked the challenger in the first round.

Idioms for deck

clear the decks,

to prepare for combat, as by removing all unnecessary gear.
to prepare for some activity or work, as by getting rid of hindrances.

hit the deck, Slang.

Nautical. to rise from bed.
to fall, drop, or be knocked to the ground or floor.

on deck,

Baseball. next at bat; waiting one's turn to bat.
Informal. next in line; coming up; scheduled.
Informal. prepared to act or work; ready.

play with/have a full deck, Slang. to be sane, rational, or reasonably intelligent: Whoever dreamed up this scheme wasn't playing with a full deck.

stack the deck. stack(def 24).

Origin of deck

1425–75; (noun) late Middle English dekke material for covering < Middle Dutch dec covering, roof; (v.) < Dutch dekken to cover; cognate with German decken; cf. thatch

SYNONYMS FOR deck

17 bedeck, garnish, trim, bedizen, adorn, embellish; dress.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR deck ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM deck

un·decked, adjective

Words nearby deck

decision theory, decision tree, decision-making, decisive, decius, deck, deck beam, deck bolt, deck bridge, deck chair, deck crane

British Dictionary definitions for clear the decks

deck

/ (dɛk) /

noun

nautical any of various platforms built into a vessel a promenade deck; the poop deck

a similar floor or platform, as in a bus

the horizontal platform that supports the turntable and pick-up of a record player
See tape deck

mainly US a pack of playing cards

Also called: pack computing obsolete a collection of punched cards relevant to a particular program

a raised wooden platform built in a garden to provide a seating area

clear the decks informal to prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat

hit the deck informal

to fall to the floor or ground, esp in order to avoid injury
to prepare for action
to get out of bed

verb (tr)

(often foll by out) to dress or decorate

to build a deck on (a vessel)

slang to knock (a person) to the floor or ground

Derived forms of deck

decker, noun

Word Origin for deck

C15: from Middle Dutch dec a covering; related to thatch

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (1 of 2)

clear the decks

Prepare for action, as in I've finished all these memos and cleared the decks for your project, or Clear the decks—here comes the coach. This expression originated in naval warfare, when it described preparing for battle by removing or fastening down all loose objects on the ship's decks. [Second half of 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (2 of 2)

deck

In addition to the idiom beginning with deck

deck out

also see:

clear the decks
hit the deck
on deck

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

deck

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Idioms for deck

Origin of deck

SYNONYMS FOR deck

OTHER WORDS FROM deck

Words nearby deck

British Dictionary definitions for clear the decks

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of deck

Word Origin for deck

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

deck

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Idioms for deck

Origin of deck

SYNONYMS FOR deck

OTHER WORDS FROM deck

Words nearby deck

Words related to clear the decks

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noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of deck

Word Origin for deck

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with clear the decks (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for clear the decks