Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

counterman

American  
[koun-ter-man] / ˈkaʊn tərˌmæn /

noun

  • countermen
    plural
  1. a person who waits on customers from behind a counter, as in a cafeteria.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of counterman

First recorded in 1850–55; counter 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:

As a student, Mr. Chirac attended a summer course at Harvard in 1953 and worked at a Howard Johnson’s in Boston, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to counterman.

From New York Times Sep. 26, 2019

During the day, the 43-year-old is a counterman at a motorcycle shop.

From Washington Post Sep. 21, 2018

“They always come here on the last day,” the counterman observed, when his patrons had trundled into the cold.

From The Guardian Dec. 30, 2015

But from your counter seat, you can observe the counterman make egg creams the old-fashioned way, by spritzing rapidly stirred cold milk and syrup with a jet of seltzer from a bottle.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 1, 2014

The counterman brought the food to their booth.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

Harvey was known for his Yiddish-speaking Puerto Rican countermen and for serving deliciously seasoned chopped meat on white bread.

From New York Times Nov. 23, 2016

The politician asked the countermen at Town Hall to recreate the sandwich.

From New York Times Apr. 14, 2015

Mr. Addis and his two longtime countermen, Lewis Spada and Alex Ortiz, provide high-end, exceptional service in a low-key, familiar way.

From New York Times Mar. 5, 2011

It would be "inconvenient" to evacuate parts of cities, but Geiger countermen would be around to spot safe areas.

From Time Magazine Archive

Arnie Weinstein took to frequenting the townie bars, where he attempted to discuss Marxist theory with hostile countermen.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

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

Start training