ship's company: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, specialized (naval/maritime contexts), occasionally literary.
Quick answer
What does “ship's company” mean?
The entire crew serving on a particular ship, considered as a single unit.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The entire crew serving on a particular ship, considered as a single unit.
1. The collective body of officers and enlisted personnel assigned to a naval vessel. 2. In merchant shipping, all personnel employed on a ship's operations. 3. (Metaphorical) Any cohesive group working together toward a common purpose, often in challenging conditions.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More commonly used in British naval and official maritime contexts. In American English, 'ship's complement' is a frequent bureaucratic synonym, though 'ship's company' is understood.
Connotations
UK: Strong association with Royal Navy tradition, ceremony (e.g., 'ship's company assembled on deck'), and formal reports. US: Slightly more likely in historical or narrative contexts, but 'crew' is dominant in everyday military usage.
Frequency
Low frequency in general corpora; spikes in nautical fiction, historical texts, and official naval documents.
Grammar
How to Use “ship's company” in a Sentence
[The/Our/His] ship's company [verb: was, assembled, stood, consisted of...]address/command/inspect/lead + the ship's companyVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “ship's company” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The admiral will ship's company the new vessel next week.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Could be used metaphorically for a corporate team on a long-term project.
Academic
Used in historical, maritime, or military studies.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Standard in naval operations, shipping manifests, and maritime law.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “ship's company”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “ship's company”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “ship's company”
- Using 'ship company' (missing possessive).
- Using it to refer only to the officers (it includes all ranks).
- Confusing with 'shipping company'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is usually treated as a singular collective noun (e.g., 'The ship's company is assembled'), though plural verbs can be used when focusing on individual members (e.g., 'The ship's company are from diverse backgrounds').
Yes, the term encompasses all personnel on the ship, from the commanding officer to the most junior enlisted sailor or rating.
'Crew' is a general, all-purpose term. 'Ship's company' is more formal, official, and emphasizes the collective as a single unit within a hierarchical naval or maritime system.
No, the term is specific to water-going vessels. The equivalent for an aircraft is 'aircrew' or 'flight crew'.
The entire crew serving on a particular ship, considered as a single unit.
Ship's company is usually formal, specialized (naval/maritime contexts), occasionally literary. in register.
Ship's company: in British English it is pronounced /ˌʃɪps ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌʃɪps ˈkɑːmpəni/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To sail with a happy ship's company”
- “The captain and his ship's company”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a ship where the COMPANY (business) you keep is everyone aboard—they're your 'ship's company'.
Conceptual Metaphor
A SHIP IS A SOCIETY / A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION. The crew is framed as employees ('company') of the vessel, bound by shared rules and purpose.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'ship's company' LEAST likely to be used?