What does crewman mean?
A crewman is a person who serves as a member of a crew — most commonly a sailor working aboard a ship, but also anyone helping operate an aircraft, spacecraft, train, or military vehicle. The word emphasizes membership in a working team responsible for running a vessel or machine, distinguishing such personnel from passengers they may carry. In everyday use, 'crewman' appears frequently in maritime, naval, aviation, and rescue contexts: news reports might describe a crewman injured in a storm or a crewman winched down from a helicopter. It is a slightly formal or traditional term, and in modern usage many writers prefer the gender-neutral 'crew member'. The plural is 'crewmen', preserving the old English -men ending seen also in words like 'firemen' and 'seamen'. Compact and vivid, 'crewman' evokes teamwork, discipline, and life at sea or in the air, making it useful whenever precise reference to an individual crew worker is needed.
A member of a crew, especially a sailor serving aboard a ship.
"One crewman remained below decks to keep watch."
Often replaced in contemporary usage by the gender-neutral 'crew member'.
Any member of the operating crew of an aircraft, spacecraft, train, or military vehicle.
"The flight engineer was the only crewman to notice the warning light."
The plural uses the irregular '-men' ending rather than '-mans'; there is no form 'crewmans'.
"All twelve crewmen survived the grounding."
Crewman keeps the Old English plural '-men' alive — one crewman, two crewmen — a tiny fossil of how English formed plurals a thousand years ago.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crewman
Crewman is formed from 'crew', meaning a body of people working a ship or machine, plus 'man'. The noun 'crew' entered English in the 15th century from an earlier sense of 'augmentation or reinforcement', borrowed from Old French 'creue' (an increase or reinforcement), ultimately from Latin 'crescere', meaning 'to grow'. The compound 'crewman' arose later, by analogy with older compounds like 'seaman', and its plural 'crewmen' follows that same Germanic pattern.
Related word forms
How crewman is actually used
Crewman is a compound of 'crew' + 'man' and is somewhat formal or technical compared to the now-preferred gender-neutral 'crew member'. Its plural follows the irregular pattern 'crewmen', not 'crewmans'.
Easily confused with crewman
A crewman is a member of a ship or vehicle's operating crew, while a crewmate is simply a fellow member of one's own team or crew, used more broadly and informally.