Definition of on deck in English:

on deck

phrase

1On or on to a ship's main deck.
‘she stood on deck for hours’
- ‘On this occasion, people were sunbathing out on deck while the ship made its way between Ullapool and Stornoway.’
- ‘I was up on deck at first light along with most of the ship's occupants.’
- ‘Once dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, Blair found Jim standing on deck, coffee in hand, looking out over the water.’
- ‘Bligh orders the ship's doctor, a dying man, to stand on deck despite his illness.’
- ‘We had been sitting inside because of the cold, but as the ferry began to pull into the dock, Maria went on deck and stood by the railing near the bow.’
- ‘Within seconds, the entire crew stood assembled on deck, looking expectantly at Shane.’
- ‘It seems that after the engines had been put out of action, the captain called everyone on deck and told them to abandon ship.’
- ‘They're hundreds of miles into the Atlantic Ocean and they're probably standing on deck, holding glasses of champagne, and waiting to toast the New Year in.’
- ‘It took an hour for the large refrigerated cargo ship to manoeuvre to bring the four on deck, using a rope ladder over the side.’
- ‘My days were spent on deck, working the ship and my nights were spent in Garren's pleasant company.’
1. 1.1North American informal Ready for action or work.
  ‘We begin with our friend Clint Eastwood, who's on deck in Washington.’
  ‘I want to spend a few brief moments with David Ensor, CNN's national security correspondent on deck in Washington.’
  ‘And on deck in Salt Lake City is Kevin Peraino, correspondent covering the Smart story for ‘Newsweek’.’
  ‘Martz's decision to stick with Warner come hell or high water becomes even more questionable considering he has the able-bodied Marc Bulger on deck.’
  ‘I don't know how they organize who is on deck for media appearances, but they just have to be better prepared.…’
  ‘It's a busy day, with no relief tonight - my wife's at the Bunco henfest, which means I'm on deck until midnight.’
  ‘Also on deck was De Bruijn, who owns history's fastest 50 after three Chinese swimmers.’
  ‘I'm back on deck today and ready for return to German class tonight, though I haven't done much revision.’
  in position, poised, ready for use, ready for action, waiting
  View synonyms