crew
gb/kɹˈu/ us/kɹˈu/
A2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Group working together
A group of people who work together to do a job or run a vehicle.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something]'s crew
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'crew' with 'crowd'. 'Crew' refers to a working group, not just any large number of people.
Synonyms
team (More general; can include sports teams or informal groups, not just work-related groups.)
Antonyms
individual (Refers to a single person, the opposite of a group working together.)
Collocations
film crew
|ship's crew
|flight crew
|construction crew
|camera crew
Themes
work
|transport
|daily life
|transportation
Examples
- The ship's crew worked tirelessly during the storm.
- A camera crew arrived to film the event.
- The airline announced that the flight crew would change in Chicago.
- The construction crew finished the bridge ahead of schedule.
Learner examples
- The ship has a large crew.
- The film crew is ready.
- Our flight crew is very friendly.
- A road crew is fixing the street.
Noun
informal
B1
entity
2
Close group of friends
A group of friends who like to be together.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s crew
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'crew' for any group; in this sense it is usually close friends in informal speech.
Synonyms
posse (Informal and slangy; often used in pop culture contexts.)
Antonyms
strangers (People you do not know, opposite of familiar friends.)
Collocations
hang out with the crew
|my crew
|college crew
Themes
relationships
|daily life
|daily_life
Examples
- I'm going to the concert with my crew.
- Her college crew meets every Friday night.
- We saw Jake and his crew at the café.
Learner examples
- I go to the park with my crew.
- My crew likes music.
- She is part of my crew.
Verb
B2
action
3
Staff or man a vehicle/job
To give the workers needed to run something.
Usage pattern:
to crew [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'crew' as a verb with 'cruise' due to similar pronunciation.
Synonyms
staff ('Staff' can refer to providing employees for any kind of workplace, not just transport or specific tasks.)
Antonyms
vacate (To leave without providing necessary personnel.)
Collocations
crew a ship
|crew the booth
|crewed by volunteers
Themes
work
|transport
|transportation
Examples
- The yacht was crewed by five sailors.
- Volunteers will crew the information desk during the festival.
- The plane is normally crewed by two pilots and four attendants.
Learner examples
- They crew the big ship.
- We will crew the shop today.
- The bus is crewed by two people.
Grammar
Dictionary form
crew
IPA
GB/kɹˈu/
US/kɹˈu/
Syllables & stress
crew (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (crew)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: crew
- Plural: crews
Verb
- Base: crew
- 3rd Person Singular: crews
- Present Participle: crewing
- Past: crewed
Word family
Forms
crews
noun
crewing
verb
crewed
verb
Related words
crewmember
noun
crewmate
noun
Negative and opposite forms
uncrewed
adjective
crewless
adjective
Expressions
crew cut
1/kɹˈu kˈʌt/
fixed phrase
Very short haircut style
A men's haircut that is very short and even all over the head.
Examples
- He got a crew cut for the summer.
- The soldier's hair was trimmed into a neat crew cut.
get your crew together
1/ɡˈɛt jˈʊɹ kɹˈu təɡˈɛðɚ/
fixed phrase
informal
Gather your group for something
To bring your friends or team together in one place for something.
Examples
- Let's get our crew together for the weekend trip.
- She got her crew together to plan the party.