Seabee
noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A construction battalion of the United States Navy, responsible for building, bulldozing, etc. US
"The Navy is establishing a new Construction Battalion, or Seabee, unit in Charleston, S. C., Senator Strom Thurmond, Republican of South Carolina, said today."
- 2 A member of this force.
"The Sixty-third Naval Construction Battalion, 15 per cent of which is composed of World War I veterans, arrived here today. The group, which includes 741 Seabees, will be processed for thirty-day leaves before reassignment, the Navy announced."
Example
More examples"The Navy is establishing a new Construction Battalion, or Seabee, unit in Charleston, S. C., Senator Strom Thurmond, Republican of South Carolina, said today."
Etymology
Spelling of the initials CB, for construction battalion, with the spelling probably influenced by the words sea (patrolled by the Navy) and bee (a symbol of industriousness).
Related phrases
More for "seabee"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.