crew

UK: /ˈkruː/ US: /kru/ ,(kro̅o̅)

From the verb crow: (⇒ conjugate)

crew is: ⓘ

v past (Rare: mainly UK)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

crew¹ /kru/   n. [countable]

1. a group of people working together:
   a demolition crew.
2. Naval Terms
   • the people who operate a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft:
     the pilot and her crew.
   • the sailors, but not the officers, of a ship's company.
3. Naval Terms, Sport the team that rows a racing shell.

v. [no object]

4. Aeronautics, Nautical, Naval Terms to serve as a member of a crew, as for a racing shell or on a ship:
   He crewed for twelve years.

Usage

See collective noun.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

crew¹  (kro̅o̅), n. 

1. a group of persons involved in a particular kind of work or working together:
   the crew of a train; a wrecking crew.
2. Nautical, Naval Terms
   • the people who sail or operate a ship or boat.
   • the common sailors of a ship's company.
   • a particular gang of a ship's company.
3. Aeronautics the people who fly or operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
4. Nautical, Naval Terms, Sport the team that rows a racing shell:
   varsity crew.
5. Sport the sport of racing with racing shells:
   He went out for crew in his freshman year.
6. a company;
   crowd:
   He and his crew of friends filled the room.
7. any force or band of armed men.

v.t. 

8. Aeronautics, Nautical, Naval Terms to serve as a member of a crew on (a ship, aircraft, etc.).
9. Aeronautics, Nautical, Naval Terms to obtain or employ a crew for (a ship, aircraft, etc.).

v.i. 

10. to serve as a member of a crew.

• Latin crēscere; see crescent
• Middle French creue, literally, increase, noun, nominal use of feminine of Old French creu, past participle of creistre to grow
• late Middle English crewe augmentation, hence reinforcements, body of soldiers 1425–75

crew′less, adj. 
Usage

See collective noun. 

crew²  (kro̅o̅), v. 

1. a pt. of crow ².

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

crew / kruː/ noun (sometimes functioning as plural)

1. the people who serve on or operate a ship, boat, aircraft, etc
2. a group of people assigned to a particular job or type of work
3. a gang, company, or crowd

verb

1. to serve on (a ship) as a member of the crew

Etymology: 15th Century crue (military) reinforcement, from Old French creue augmentation, from Old French creistre to increase, from Latin crescere

crew / kruː/ verb

1. a past tense of crow2

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

crow¹ /kroʊ/   n. [countable]

1. Birds a large, strong-billed songbird typically black and found nearly worldwide:
   crows in the trees, cawing unceasingly.

Idioms

2. Idioms as the crow flies, in a straight line;
   by the most direct route:
   It's only a few miles as the crow flies, but more like twenty through the mountain roads.
3. Idioms, Informal Terms eat crow, to be forced to admit one's mistake;
   suffer humiliation.

crow² /kroʊ/   v., crowed or, for 1., (esp. Brit.), crew /kru/;  crowed;
 crow•ing;
 n. 
v. 

1. [no object] to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
2. to gloat over a triumph or victory;
   boast or brag:
   [~ + over/about + object] They were crowing over their victory in the tournament.
3. [no object] to utter a cry of pleasure.

n. [countable]

4. the cry of a rooster.
5. a cry of pleasure.

crow•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

crow¹  (krō), n. 

1. Birds any of several large oscine birds of the genus Corvus, of the family Corvidae, having a long, stout bill, lustrous black plumage, and a wedge-shaped tail, as the common C. brachyrhynchos, of North America.
2. Birds any of several other birds of the family Corvidae.
3. Birds any of various similar birds of other families.
4. (cap.) [Astron.] the constellation Corvus.
5. Building crowbar (def. 1).
6. Idioms as the crow flies, in a straight line;
   by the most direct route:
   The next town is thirty miles from here, as the crow flies.
7. Idioms eat crow, [Informal.] to be forced to admit to having made a mistake, as by retracting an emphatic statement;
   suffer humiliation:
   His prediction was completely wrong, and he had to eat crow.
8. Dialect Terms, Idioms have a crow to pick or pluck with someone, [Midland and Southern U.S.] to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.

• bef. 900; Middle English crowe, Old English crāwe, crāwa; cognate with Old High German krāwa; akin to Dutch kraai, German Krähe

crow²  (krō), v., crowed or, for 1, (esp. Brit.), crew;
crowed;
crow•ing;
 n. 
v.i. 

1. to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
2. to gloat, boast, or exult (often fol. by over).
3. to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.

n. 

4. the characteristic cry of a rooster.
5. an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

• bef. 1000; Middle English crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow¹

crow′er, n. 
crow′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 2. vaunt, brag.

Crow  (krō), n. 

1. a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.
2. a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.

• translation of North American French (gens des) Corbeaux Raven (people), literal translation of Crow apsá·loke a Crow Indian 1795–1805

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

crow / krəʊ/ noun

1. any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae. Other species are the raven, rook, and jackdaw and all have a heavy bill, glossy black plumage, and rounded wings
   See also carrion crow
2. any of various similar birds of other families
3. an old or ugly woman
4. short for crowbar
5. as the crow flies ⇒ as directly as possible
6. eat crow ⇒ to be forced to do something humiliating
7. stone the crows ⇒
   See stone23

Etymology: Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai

crow / krəʊ/ verb (intransitive)

1. (past tense crowed or crew) to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock
2. (often followed by over) to boast one's superiority
3. (esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

noun

1. the act or an instance of crowing

Etymology: Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien

ˈcrowingly adverb