Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

draftsman

American  
[drafts-muhn, drahfts-] / ˈdræfts mən, ˈdrɑfts- /
British, draughtsman

noun

  • draftsmen
    plural
  1. a person employed in making mechanical drawings, as of machines, structures, etc.

  2. a person who draws sketches, plans, or designs.

  3. an artist exceptionally skilled in drawing.

    Matisse was a superb draftsman.

  4. a person who draws up documents.

  5. draughtsman.


draftsman British  
/ ˈdrɑːftsmən /

noun

  1. the usual US spelling of draughtsman draughtsman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of draftsman

First recorded in 1655–65; draft + 's 1 + man

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A sketchbook from Whistler’s teenage years in St. Petersburg, Russia—where his father worked as an engineer—is an unexpected treasure in the show, and includes sensitive portrait sketches that establish Whistler’s skills as a draftsman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

He began his 35-year career at the iconic American automaker in 1968 as a draftsman and retired as a product engineering design supervisor in 2003.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026

Greene worked as a draftsman, civil technologist, steelworker and rock-band crew member before starting his career in theatre in the UK in the 1970s.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025

Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack on Feb. 10, 1937, in tiny Black Mountain, N.C., she was the daughter of Laron LeRoy, a draftsman who played piano, and Irene Flack, a church choir organist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025

Hamilton would be the draftsman, but Washington must be the author.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

"I think it is fascinating we have a list of plasterers and draftsmen," she said.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025

Under me I have an art director, then draftsmen, and production coordinator and the paint department and graphic designer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2022

She said they were afraid of being seen as mere draftsmen – and that would be too degrading.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 29, 2022

The talented Ramirez is one of the best draftsmen in editorial cartooning today, with opinions as sharp as his pen point.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2021

Luther Rice joined them, as did two draftsmen and the city of Chicago’s former bridge engineer, W. C. Hughes.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training