plumber
Americannoun
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a person who installs and repairs piping, fixtures, appliances, and appurtenances in connection with the water supply, drainage systems, etc., both in and out of buildings.
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Slang. an undercover operative or spy hired to detect or stop leaks of news or secret information, often using questionable or illegal methods, as illegal entry or wiretapping.
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Obsolete. a worker in lead or similar metals.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of plumber
1375–1425; 1965–70 plumber for def. 2; late Middle English, spelling variant of Middle English plowber ≪ Late Latin plumbārius leadworker; replacing Middle English plummer < Anglo-French; Old French plummier < Latin, as above. See plumb, -er 2
Explanation
A plumber is someone whose job includes fixing pipes and installing water and sewage systems. If your kitchen sink is clogged, a plumber is the person to call. Plumbers's work ranges from relatively simple tasks like repairing toilets and removing clogs from drains, to much more complicated jobs including replacing all the old corroded pipes in a bathroom floor with new ones. The word plumber has been around since ancient Rome, when a plumber was "anyone who works with lead," and lead was a common material for pipes, baths, drains, and conduits. Fixing anything made of lead (which included roofs) made someone a plumber back then.
Vocabulary lists containing plumber
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.
Joe the Plumber became a media darling when he crossed paths with Mr. Obama in Toledo, Ohio, and asked the candidate how his new tax plan would affect filers above the $250,000 threshold.
From Washington Times • Aug. 28, 2023
Plumber Andrew Scott was both delighted and surprised to be gifted a blue Fiesta 1.1L by a woman whose toilet he had just fixed.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2023
Withers, also known as "Josephine the Plumber" from TV commercials in the 1960s and ’70s, died Saturday, her daughter Kendall Errair said.
From Fox News • Aug. 9, 2021
Apart from being gross, drain blockages generally only worsen with time, said Jake Romano, who works for the Ottawa-based plumbing company John the Plumber.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2021
And the next time your pipes spring a leak and a panel truck marked ''Licensed” Plumber pulls up to your door, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
