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definitions

brakeman

[breyk-muh n]
noun, plural brake·men.
  1. a railroad worker who assists the conductor in the operation of a train.
  2. brake1(def 4).

Origin of brakeman

First recorded in 1825–35; brake1 + -man
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for brakeman

Historical Examples of brakeman

  • By and by the brakeman shouted to the signalman in the gray silence of the morning.

    A Son of Hagar

    Sir Hall Caine

  • At this moment entered a brakeman with a can of condensed milk.

    Kristy's Rainy Day Picnic

    Olive Thorne Miller

  • For ten minutes Brakeman Joe lies insensible and motionless, just as he fell.

    Cab and Caboose

    Kirk Munroe

  • He felt satisfied that they had, in some way, disposed of Brakeman Joe.

    Cab and Caboose

    Kirk Munroe

  • In spite of his bewilderment, however, his years of training as a brakeman were not forgotten.

    Cab and Caboose

    Kirk Munroe

British Dictionary definitions for brakeman

brakeman

noun plural -men
  1. US and Canadian a crew member of a goods or passenger train. His duties include controlling auxiliary braking power and inspecting the train
  2. the person at the back of a two- or four-man bobsleigh, who operates the brake
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