What does "crew" mean?
A group of people together; Any company of people; an assemblage; a throng.
Crew
/kɹuː/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A group of people together; Any company of people; an assemblage; a throng.
- Grammar: crew is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bunch, crowd, gang, staff.
- Useful contrasts: audience, casts, individual.
- Usage evidence: A student with a crew cut was sitting in the front seat.
How to use "crew"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "crew" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "crew" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "crew" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "crew" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "crew" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bunch" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "crew", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A group of people together; Any company of people; an assemblage; a throng. obsolete
"There a noble crew / Of Lordes and Ladies stood on every side."
- 2 A pen for livestock such as chickens or pigs British, East-Midlands, Northern-England, Scotland, dialectal
"Between the shippon and the pig-crew, with the wind blowing over from the vegetable ground."
- 3 The Manx shearwater. dated, dialectal
- 4 Acronym of continuous review, evaluation, and weeding. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
- 5 an organized group of workmen wordnet
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 A group of people together; A group of people (often staff) manning and operating a large facility or piece of equipment such as a factory, ship, boat, airplane, or spacecraft.
"If you need help, please contact a member of the crew."
- 7 the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.) wordnet
- 8 A group of people together; A group of people working together on a task.
"The crews competed to cut the most timber."
- 9 the team of men or women manning a racing shell wordnet
- 10 A group of people together; The group of workers on a dramatic production who are not part of the cast.
"There are a lot of carpenters in the crew!"
- 11 an informal body of friends wordnet
- 12 A group of people together; A close group of friends. derogatory, informal, often
"I’d look out for that whole crew down at Jack’s."
- 13 A group of people together; A set of individuals lumped together by the speaker. derogatory, often
"1861 William Weston Patton, (version of) John Brown's Body He captured Harper’s Ferry, with his nineteen men so few, And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru; They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew, But his soul is marching on."
- 14 A group of people together; A group of Rovers.
- 15 A group of people together; A hip-hop or b-boying group. slang
"And Jay cuts the records every day of the week / And we are the crew that can never be meek"
- 16 A group of people together; A rowing team manning a single shell.
"If a crew feather much under water, it is a good plan to seat them in a row on a bench, and give each man a stick to handle as an oar."
- 17 A person in a crew; A member of the crew of a vessel or plant. plural
"One crew died in the accident."
- 18 A person in a crew; A worker on a dramatic production who is not part of the cast. plural
"There were three actors and six crew on the set."
- 19 A person in a crew; A member of a ship's company who is not an officer. plural
"The officers and crew assembled on the deck."
- 20 The sport of competitive rowing. US, uncountable
"The University of Virginia belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference and competes interscholastically in basketball, baseball, crew, cross country, fencing, football, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, polo, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling."
Verb
- 1 To be a member of a vessel's crew intransitive, transitive
"We crewed together on a fishing boat last year."
- 2 simple past of crow (“make the characteristic sound of a rooster”). British, archaic, form-of, past
"It was still dark when the cock crew."
- 3 serve as a crew member on wordnet
- 4 To be a member of a work or production crew
"The film was crewed and directed by students."
- 5 To supply workers or sailors for a crew
"The seafood companies crewed huge trawlers with new fishermen, many of whom were fish-plant workers, since much of the work on board a modern trawler is fish processing."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To do the proper work of a sailor
"The crewing of the vessel before the crash was deficient."
- 7 To take on, recruit (new) crew
"The two ships will be crewing in the latter half of September."
Proper Noun
- 1 A habitational surname from Welsh.
- 2 Acronym of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"“Defendants’ representations to this Court that Mr. Musk is not running DOGE are tantamount to legal gaslighting,” CREW said."
- 3 A male given name transferred from the surname.
- 4 A townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
- 5 A townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Antonyms
Example
"A student with a crew cut was sitting in the front seat."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "crew"?
Common synonyms include: bunch, crowd, gang, staff, seaman, aerial photographer.
How do you use "crew" in a sentence?
A student with a crew cut was sitting in the front seat.
How do you pronounce "crew"?
Pronounced /kɹuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English crue, from Old French creue (“an increase, recruit, military reinforcement”), the feminine past participle of creistre (“grow”), from Latin crescere (“to arise, grow”).
Etymology 2
Probably of Brythonic origin. Compare Middle Welsh creu (“pigsty, hovel, stockade”).
Etymology 3
From Crewe in Cheshire, Old Welsh criu (“weir”).