variants
or bosun
or less commonly bos'n
or bo's'n
or bo'sun
1
: a petty officer on a merchant ship having charge of hull maintenance and related work
2
: a naval warrant officer in charge of the hull and all related equipment
Examples of boatswain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The researchers compared the sounds to the boatswain whistle and the tricorder device from Star Trek.
—
Olivia Ferrari, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
In a November 2020 post in honor of Veterans Day, the company saluted Violette, who enlisted in the Navy at 19 and became a boatswain’s mate aboard the USS Ranger aircraft carrier supporting troops in Vietnam.
—Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023
It’s named after the bosun or boatswain which is a senior position on a ship’s crew.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 July 2023
Frangiosa joined the Navy at 19, becoming an aviation boatswain’s mate and spent his four-year Navy career on the aircraft carrier Roosevelt.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023
Periodically, a boatswain blew a chilling whistle, and crewmen stumbled from ale shops, parting from old or new sweethearts, hurrying to their departing ships in order to avoid their officers’ lashes.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Today, McDaniel serves as an aviation boatswain’s mate, launching aircraft from the deck of the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
In May 2021, Hannah Crisostomo, an aviation boatswain’s mate handler on the George Washington, attempted suicide on the heels of her first anniversary with the Navy.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 19 May 2022
The boatswain and a mate trained a fire hose on the plate, and the mud came down in curtains.
—Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
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Olivia Ferrari, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
In a November 2020 post in honor of Veterans Day, the company saluted Violette, who enlisted in the Navy at 19 and became a boatswain’s mate aboard the USS Ranger aircraft carrier supporting troops in Vietnam.
—Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023
It’s named after the bosun or boatswain which is a senior position on a ship’s crew.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 July 2023
Frangiosa joined the Navy at 19, becoming an aviation boatswain’s mate and spent his four-year Navy career on the aircraft carrier Roosevelt.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023
Periodically, a boatswain blew a chilling whistle, and crewmen stumbled from ale shops, parting from old or new sweethearts, hurrying to their departing ships in order to avoid their officers’ lashes.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Today, McDaniel serves as an aviation boatswain’s mate, launching aircraft from the deck of the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
In May 2021, Hannah Crisostomo, an aviation boatswain’s mate handler on the George Washington, attempted suicide on the heels of her first anniversary with the Navy.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 19 May 2022
The boatswain and a mate trained a fire hose on the plate, and the mud came down in curtains.
—Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Boatswain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boatswain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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