Meanings
plural Seabees
- USgovernmentA construction battalion of the United States Navy, responsible for building, bulldozing, etc.
The Navy is establishing a new Construction Battalion, or Seabee, unit in Charleston, S. C., Senator Strom Thurmond, Republican of South Carolina, said today.
1971 January 20, “Seabee Unit in Charleston”, in The New York Times, page 15 - A member of this force.
The Sixty-third Naval Construction Battalion, 15 per cent of which is composed of World War I veterans, arrived here today. The group, which includes 741 Seabees, will be processed for thirty-day leaves before reassignment, the Navy announced.
1945 August 26, “Seabee Battalion Returns”, in The New York Times, page 4
Origin
Spelling out of the initials CB, for construction battalion, with the spelling probably influenced by the words sea (patrolled by the Navy) and bee (a symbol of industriousness).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish meripioneerit, meripioneeri
- meripioneeritforce
- meripioneerimember
Cite this entry
Seabee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seabee
“Seabee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seabee. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Seabee,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seabee.
Source: Seabee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.