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Synonyms

bagman

American  
[bag-man, bag-muhn] / ˈbægˌmæn, ˈbæg mən /

noun

plural

bagmen

  1. dishonest official; a person who collects, carries, or distributes illegal payoff money.

  2. British. a traveling salesman; drummer.

  3. Australian. a tramp; swagman.

bagman British  
/ ˈbæɡmən /

noun

  1. informal a travelling salesman

  2. slang a person who collects or distributes money for racketeers

  3. informal a person who solicits money or subscriptions for a political party

  4. history a tramp or swagman, esp one on horseback

  5. Also called: bagswinger.  slang someone who takes money for a bookmaker

"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

Etymology

Origin of bagman

1525–35, for an earlier literally sense; bag + 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.

His experience demonstrates that far from ridding sports of backroom deals and bagman boosters, the deluge of legal NIL money incentivizes and gives cover to the illicit market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Their first mission, which is to track a bagman with a suitcase in the Madrid airport is a nifty sequence, which gets the film off to a good start.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2023

Braun singled out Chiang, an admitted bagman, as especially untrustworthy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023

The bagman, who was at Bubba Watson's side for his two Masters wins, knew he was onto a good thing when Scheffler took him on.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2022

Seein all eyes at this moment directed to that part o' his person where a hat should have been, the wee bagman instinctively clapped his hand on his head.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 13 by Various

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.