crew¹ (krū)
n.

1. 1. A group of people working together; a gang: a crew of stagehands.
   2. A group of people gathered together temporarily; a crowd.
2. 1. All personnel operating or serving aboard a ship.
   2. All of a ship's personnel except the officers.
   3. All personnel operating or serving aboard an aircraft in flight.
3. Sports.
   1. A team of rowers, as of a racing shell.
   2. The sport of rowing.

v., crewed, crew·ing, crews.

v.intr.
To serve as a member of a crew: crewed on a sloop.

v.tr.
To serve as a crew member on: The space station will be crewed by a team of eight people.

[Middle English creue, military reinforcement, from Old French, increase, from feminine past participle of creistre, to grow, from Latin crēscere.]

crewman crew'man n.
crewperson crew'per'son n.
crewwoman crew'wom'an n.

crew² (krū)
v. Chiefly British
A past tense of crow².

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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