coxswain

1 of 2

noun

cox·swain ˈkäk-sən

-ˌswān

: a sailor who has charge of a ship's boat and its crew and who usually steers

: a steersman of a racing shell who usually directs the rowers

coxswain

2 of 2

verb

coxswained; coxswaining; coxswains

transitive verb

: to direct as coxswain

intransitive verb

: to act as coxswain

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Only the coxswain faces the bow and can see the course ahead.

Kim O'connell, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2022 The coxswain gives directions of when and how to move the equipment, including the 200-pound boat, and when to board the boat.

Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2022 The Atlantic Coast Conference, for example, permits a third eight-person boat and a second four-person boat, plus a coxswain for each, for up to 37 women.

Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 26 May 2022 Broadland has hopes of landing a spot as the coxswain of the U.S. National crew.

Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2022 President Biden’s Trade Policy is not very different from the coxswain’s story.

Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2022 Each new summer brings a certain amount of churn, usually with a slightly different crew, a different coach and a different coxswain.

Ted Diadiun, cleveland, 19 Mar. 2022 According to tradition, if a race was won, the coxswain would be tossed into the Schuylkill River (an unfathomable outcome).

Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2022 Mom, and her husband, were later sentenced to federal prison after the celebrity couple pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy involving payments that resulted in their daughter being admitted to USC as a coxswain despite having no rowing experience.

Steve Lopez Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2022

Verb

Watching her granddaughter Hannah pitch through a tough inning of softball or her granddaughter Lily coxswain for the rowing team was a marvel.

Cecile Richards, Glamour, 11 May 2018 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coxswain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.