deck

plural decks

1. Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop.
2. nauticalThe floorlike covering of the horizontal sections, or compartments, of a ship or boat. Small vessels have only one deck; larger ships have two or three decks.

   to swab the deck

   2 more examples

   Holonyms: watercraft, vessel, vessel

   Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

3. aeronauticsA main aeroplane surface, especially of a biplane or multiplane.
4. card gamesA pack or set of playing cards.
5. broadlycard gamesA set of cards owned by each individual player and from which they draw when playing.

   Synonyms: library

6. journalismA headline consisting of one or more full lines of text; especially, a subheadline.

   If there's a strapline or subdeck, write these after the main deck and don't use the same words.

   2005, Richard Keeble, Print Journalism: A Critical Introduction, page 114

7. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of slide deck: a set of slides for a presentation.

   Navigate to the location where your PowerPoint deck is stored and select it.

   2011, David Kroenke, Donald Nilson, Office 365 in Business

8. computingA collection of cards (pages or forms) in systems such as WML (Wireless Markup Language) and HyperCard.

   The interaction model of WAP, originally developed for mobile phones to interact with information services in a web-like way, was based on Apple's HyperCard, and instead of pages, the user interacted with a deck of cards, which were interlinked by a scripting language.

   2008, Johan Hjelm, Why IPTV?: Interactivity, Technologies, Services, page 13

9. obsoleteA heap or store.

   A paper-blurrer, who on all occasions, / For all times, and all season, hath such trinkets / Ready in the deck

   1655, Philip Massinger, The Guardian, act III, scene iii

10. slangA folded paper used for distributing illicit drugs.

    Defendant placed the decks in his pocket and, after driving out of the city, gave one to Shore. While still in the car, Shore snorted half of the deck. When they returned to defendant's home, defendant handed Shore a second deck of heroin.

    2007, Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of New Jersey, volume 188

11. colloquialThe floor.

    We hit the deck as bullets began to fly.

    1 more example

    Williams fell to the deck. Following a lengthy check, he was replaced by Connor Roberts due to a suspected concussion - a scenario well explained by the stadium's staff over the PA system.

    2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”, in WalesOnline

12. UKfishingThe bottom of a water body.

    Wily carp are quickly put on their guard by tight lines cutting through the water, so another common measure is to use a back lead to keep the line on the deck.

    2012, Peter Kaminsky, Greg Schwipps, “Part IV: Now You're Fishing”, in Fishing for Dummies, UK edition, Adapted by Dominic Garnett, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., page 298

13. entertainmentThe stage.
14. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of tape deck.

    The general operating procedure for recording a tape is basically the same as for playing it. After you insert the tape in the deck, you fast forward it to the end and then completely rewind it.

    1985, Byte, volume 10, page 111

15. graph theoryThe multiset of graphs formed from a single graph by deleting a single vertex in all possible ways.

present singular third person decks · participle present decking · participle past decked · past decked

1. transitiveuncommonTo furnish with a deck.

   to deck a vessel

2. informaltransitiveTo knock (someone) to the floor, especially with a single punch.

   Wow, did you see her deck that guy who pinched her?

3. transitivecollectible card gamesTo cause (a player) to run out of cards to draw, usually making them lose the game.

present singular third person decks · participle present decking · participle past decked · past decked

1. archaicsometimestransitiveTo dress (someone) up, to clothe with more than ordinary elegance.

   And deck my body in gay ornaments, / And witch sweet ladies with my words and looks.

   c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

   2 more examples

   Decke thy selfe now with Maiestie, and excellencie, and aray thy selfe with glory, and beautie.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 40:10

   They call beautiful a dress, a dog, a sermon; and when they are face to face with Beauty cannot recognise it. The false emphasis with which they try to deck their worthless thoughts blunts their susceptibilities.

   1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 39”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC

2. archaicsometimestransitiveTo decorate (something).

   (now the dew with spangles decked the ground)

   1700, John Dryden, transl., The Flower and the Leaf

   1 more example

   The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

   2001, “Psalm 65”, in The Bible (English Standard Version), verses 12–13

3. transitiveTo cover; to overspread.

   Whether to deck with clouds the uncoloured sky, / Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers

   1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC