first mate

noun

the officer of a merchant vessel next in command beneath the captain.

Also called chief mate, chief officer, first officer, mate.

Examples from the web for first mate

Conan served as her first mate until greed got the best of the lady and her crew.
The first mate handed me a beautiful piece of sailor's fancywork.
Females first mate at one year of age and males first mate at two years of age.
He rarely rose from his bed, and he asked the first mate to perform his duties.
The tug boat captain reported that the first mate was at the wheel at the time of the collision and had fallen asleep.
The story is that the first mate once had a night off interrupted by a last-minute request to work.
Eventually, the first mate was placed in irons to minimize disruption of the crew.

British Dictionary definitions for first mate

noun

an officer second in command to the captain of a merchant ship Also called first officer