a floorlike surface wholly or partially occupying one level of a hull, superstructure, or deckhouse, generally cambered, and often serving as a member for strengthening the structure of a vessel.
the space between such a surface and the next such surface above: Our stateroom was on B deck.
any open platform suggesting an exposed deck of a ship.
an open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building.Compare sun deck.
any level, tier, or vertical section, as of a structure or machine.
flight deck (def. 2).
a flat or nearly flat watertight surface, as at the top of a French roof.
a floor or roof surface composed of decking units.
Meteorology. cloud deck. See cloud layer.
Slang. a small packet of a narcotic, especially heroin.
a pack of playing cards.
Printing. bank3 (def. 8).
Also called rear deck.the cover of a space behind the backseat of an automobile or the space itself.
Library Science. a level of book shelving and associated facilities in the stacks of a library, as one of a series of floors or tiers.
cutter deck.
a cassette deck or tape deck.
adjective
Civil Engineering. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or floor upon or above the structure.Compare through (def. 22).
verb (used with object)
to clothe or attire (people) or array (rooms, houses, etc.) in something ornamental or decorative (often followed by out): We were all decked out in our Sunday best. The church was decked with holly for the holiday season.
to furnish with a deck.
Informal. to knock down; floor: The champion decked the challenger in the first round.
Idioms for deck
clear the decks,
to prepare for combat, as by removing all unnecessary gear.
to prepare for some activity or work, as by getting rid of hindrances.
hit the deck, Slang.
Nautical.to rise from bed.
to fall, drop, or be knocked to the ground or floor.
on deck,
Baseball.next at bat; waiting one's turn to bat.
Informal.next in line; coming up; scheduled.
Informal.prepared to act or work; ready.
play with / have a full deck, Slang. to be sane, rational, or reasonably intelligent: Whoever dreamed up this scheme wasn't playing with a full deck.
stack the deck. stack (def. 24).
Origin of deck
1425–75; (noun) late Middle English dekke material for covering <Middle Dutch dec covering, roof; (v.) <Dutch dekken to cover; cognate with German decken;cf. thatch
Don’t wait until your idea or pitch deck is perfect, she says, before meeting with a small handful of people.
‘Don’t wait to be perfect:’ 4 top startup tips from a unicorn’s founder and investor|Beth Kowitt|September 6, 2020|Fortune
War is a two-player game in which a standard deck of cards is first shuffled and then divided into two piles with 26 cards each — one pile for each player.
The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The wide deck and front suspension provide a bounce-free ride while the heat-treated brake means you’ll always be in control.
The best scooters for a smooth commute or cruise|PopSci Commerce Team|September 3, 2020|Popular Science
This time around, we considered a number of experimental experiences, including interfaces where readers could shuffle the House, Senate and presidential forecasts like a deck of cards, or ones where users could sort of choose their own adventure.
How We Designed The Look Of Our 2020 Forecast|Anna Wiederkehr (anna.wiederkehr@abc.com)|August 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Last week, the decks were cleared for the world’s largest social messenger app to start providing payment services in India.
WhatsApp is a step closer to disrupting India’s fintech space|Prathamesh Mulye|August 11, 2020|Quartz
“Deck the Halls” was written back in the 16th century, when the English language was very different.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obama has latched on to the failure of the embargo to topple the Castros as justification to shuffle the deck.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Deck your halls instead with boughs of holly, shouting “Merry Christmas” (or “Happy Hanukkah”) well into the night.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The President came in and our squadron commander called, “Attention on deck!”
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unlike a normal ship, the bow slopes upward from the water up to the deck.
Can the Navy's $12 Billion Stealth Destroyer Stay Afloat?|Dave Majumdar|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“On deck, sir,” replied the big boatswain, touching his cap to the principal.
Up The Baltic|Oliver Optic
Captain Burgoyne was on deck when the catastrophe happened, remaining there as the night grew stormy.
Grace Darling|Eva Hope
We stop the night at Henzada, and dine on deck, shut off from the night by a glass partition.
From Edinburgh to India & Burmah|William G. Burn Murdoch
For example: side or stern ports there were none, deck ventilators being considered sufficient.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army|Charles Alexander Gordon
Rick and Scotty watched Jimmy Kelly check the diving equipment of the frogman teams lined up on the destroyer escort's deck.
The Wailing Octopus|Harold Leland Goodwin
British Dictionary definitions for deck
deck
/ (dɛk) /
noun
nauticalany of various platforms built into a vessela promenade deck; the poop deck
a similar floor or platform, as in a bus
the horizontal platform that supports the turntable and pick-up of a record player
See tape deck
mainlyUSa pack of playing cards
Also called: packcomputingobsoletea collection of punched cards relevant to a particular program
a raised wooden platform built in a garden to provide a seating area
clear the decksinformalto prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat
hit the deckinformal
to fall to the floor or ground, esp in order to avoid injury
to prepare for action
to get out of bed
verb(tr)
(often foll by out)to dress or decorate
to build a deck on (a vessel)
slangto knock (a person) to the floor or ground
See also deck over
Derived forms of deck
decker, noun
Word Origin for deck
C15: from Middle Dutch dec a covering; related to thatch