stevedore

UK: /ˈstiːvɪdɔː^r/ US: /ˈstivɪˌdɔr/ ,(stē′vi dôr′, -dōr′)

Inflections of 'stevedore' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

stevedores

v 3rd person singular

stevedoring

v pres p

stevedored

v past

stevedored

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ste•ve•dore /ˈstivɪˌdɔr/   n. [countable]

1. a person or company that loads or unloads ships.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ste•ve•dore  (stē′vi dôr′, -dōr′), n., v., -dored, -dor•ing. 
n. 

1. a firm or individual engaged in the loading or unloading of a vessel.

v.t. 

2. Nautical, Naval Terms to load or unload the cargo of (a ship).

v.i. 

3. Nautical, Naval Terms to load or unload a vessel.

• Spanish estibador, equivalent. to estib(ar) to pack, stow (see steeve¹) + -ador -ator
• 1780–90, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

stevedore / ˈstiːvɪˌdɔː/ noun

1. a person employed to load or unload ships

verb

1. to load or unload (a ship, ship's cargo, etc)

Etymology: 18th Century: from Spanish estibador a packer, from estibar to load (a ship), from Latin stīpāre to pack full