brakeman

[ breyk-muhn ]

/ ˈbreɪk mən /

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noun, plural brake·men.

a railroad worker who assists the conductor in the operation of a train.

brake¹ (def. 4).

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Origin of brakeman

First recorded in 1825–35; brake¹ + -man

Words nearby brakeman

brake fade, brake fluid, brake horsepower, brake light, brake lining, brakeman, brake pad, brake parachute, brake pedal, braker, brake shoe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brakeman in a sentence

"I was sent here by a brakeman on the midnight express," put in Bert.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
As he began to104 get his things together, the brakeman came in.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
The brakeman sat down opposite Albert, encouraged by his smile.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
The brakeman turned with a sharp look which speedily softened as he saw an earnest appeal in the little man's face.
All He Knew|John Habberton

The brakeman and the locomotive engineer and the mechanical engineer and the sailor all have the same spirit.
The Voice of the Machines|Gerald Stanley Lee

British Dictionary definitions for brakeman

brakeman

/ (ˈbreɪkmən) /

noun plural -men

US and Canadian a crew member of a goods or passenger train. His duties include controlling auxiliary braking power and inspecting the train

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