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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

coxswain

/ˈkɑk.s(ə)n/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:41
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What does coxswain mean?

noun

  1. In a ship's boat, the helmsman given charge of the boat's crew.
  2. The member of a crew who steers the shell and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers.
  3. A rank or position.
More meanings (2)

verb

  1. To act as coxswain for.

noun

  1. (archaic) The second or third mate of a vessel, in charge of the master's barge.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈkɑk.s(ə)n/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The coxswain said some words in his outlandish tongue, doubtless warning the men to keep on their guard.
Jules VerneTwenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaProject Gutenberg ebook #164
I stationed my coxswain, Parker, at the cabin companion way with orders to allow no one to pass.
VariousThe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial IssueProject Gutenberg ebook #206
More book examples (3)
The bow-man had charge of the boat-hook and painter, and the coxswain of the rudder, yoke, and stern-sheets.
Richard Henry DanaTwo Years Before the MastProject Gutenberg ebook #2055
And the coxswain, Israel Hands, was a careful, wily, old, experienced seaman who could be trusted at a pinch with almost anything.
Robert Louis StevensonTreasure IslandProject Gutenberg ebook #120
This, however, did not deter him from soliciting to be received, and, by his uncle's interest, he was admitted as coxswain under Captain Lutwidge, second in command.
Robert SoutheyThe Life of Horatio, Lord NelsonProject Gutenberg ebook #947