crew

[ kroo ]

/ kru /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR crew ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a group of persons involved in a particular kind of work or working together: the crew of a train; a wrecking crew.

Nautical.

the people who sail or operate a ship or boat.
the common sailors of a ship's company.
a particular gang of a ship's company.

the people who fly or operate an aircraft or spacecraft.

the team that rows a racing shell: varsity crew.

the sport of racing with racing shells: He went out for crew in his freshman year.

a company; crowd: He and his crew of friends filled the room.

any force or band of armed men.

verb (used with object)

to serve as a member of a crew on (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

to obtain or employ a crew for (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to serve as a member of a crew.

Origin of crew

1425–75; late Middle English crewe augmentation, hence reinforcements, body of soldiers < Middle French creue, literally, increase, noun use of feminine of Old French creu, past participle of creistre to grow < Latin crēscere; see crescent

usage note for crew

See collective noun.

OTHER WORDS FROM crew

crew·less, adjective

Words nearby crew

crevalle jack, crevasse, creve coeur, crevice, crevicular, crew, crew chief, crew cut, crew neck, crew sock, crewe

Definition for crew (2 of 3)

crew ²

[ kroo ]

/ kru /

verb

a simple past tense of crow².

Definition for crew (3 of 3)

crow ²

[ kroh ]

/ kroʊ /

verb (used without object), crowed or for 1, (especially British), crew; crowed; crow·ing.

to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.

to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed by over).

to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.

noun

the characteristic cry of a rooster.

an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Origin of crow

before 1000; Middle English crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow¹

SYNONYMS FOR crow

2 vaunt, brag.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR crow ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM crow

crow·er, noun crow·ing·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for crew

The brokers then scout out potential “crew members” who can earn substantial discounts for working the journey.

Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean |Barbie Latza Nadeau |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Carlisle writes that the Air Force would want a crew ratio of 10 to one for each drone orbit during normal everyday operations.

Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says |Dave Majumdar |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Crew members had to cut through the ice on the streets to get shots.

Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’ |Jennie Yabroff |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
And its crew had fought so hard for a Christmastime miracle that was not to be.

'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops |Michael Daly |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

We also knew that once we hit the road, we would be paying our band and crew on a weekly basis.

How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour? |Jack Conte |December 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But since the crew was emphatically ordered to leave, a respirator might not provide much safety.

The Status Civilization |Robert Sheckley
The young midshipmen called the crew around them, after Needham took the helm.

The Three Midshipmen |W.H.G. Kingston
The German lived constantly under the scrutiny of one or another of the crew.

First on the Moon |Jeff Sutton
Hardly had Orde's first crew passed, however, when Heinzman's men began to break down the logs into the drive.

The Riverman |Stewart Edward White
The coxswain waved his megaphone at our friends in a friendly fashion, and then gave his attention to his crew.

The Eight-Oared Victors |Lester Chadwick

British Dictionary definitions for crew (1 of 5)

crew ¹

/ (kruː) /

noun (sometimes functioning as plural)

the men who man a ship, boat, aircraft, etc

nautical a group of people assigned to a particular job or type of work

informal a gang, company, or crowd

verb

to serve on (a ship) as a member of the crew

Word Origin for crew

C15 crue (military) reinforcement, from Old French creue augmentation, from Old French creistre to increase, from Latin crescere

British Dictionary definitions for crew (2 of 5)

crew ²

/ (kruː) /

verb

a past tense of crow 2

British Dictionary definitions for crew (3 of 5)

Crow

/ (krəʊ) /

noun

plural Crows or Crow a member of a Native American people living in E Montana

the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family

British Dictionary definitions for crew (4 of 5)

crow ¹

/ (krəʊ) /

noun

any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae . Other species are the raven, rook, and jackdaw and all have a heavy bill, glossy black plumage, and rounded wings See also carrion crow Related adjective: corvine

any of various other corvine birds, such as the jay, magpie, and nutcracker

any of various similar birds of other families

offensive an old or ugly woman

short for crowbar

as the crow flies as directly as possible

eat crow US and Canadian informal to be forced to do something humiliating

stone the crows stone

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai

British Dictionary definitions for crew (5 of 5)

crow ²

/ (krəʊ) /

verb (intr)

(past tense crowed or crew) to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock

(often foll by over) to boast one's superiority

(esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

noun

the act or an instance of crowing

Derived forms of crow

crower, noun crowingly, adverb

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien

Idioms and Phrases with crew

crow

In addition to the idiom beginning with crow

crown jewels
crow over

also see:

as the crow flies
eat crow

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

crew