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Synonyms

flagman

American  
[flag-muhn] / ˈflæg mən /

noun

plural

flagmen

  1. a person who signals with a flag or lantern, as at a railroad crossing.

  2. a person who has charge of or carries a flag.

flagman British  
/ ˈflæɡmən /

noun

  1. a person who has charge of, carries, or signals with a flag, esp a railway employee

"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 flagman

First recorded in 1660–70; flag 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.

He was working as a flagman near Zabriskie Point, where road repairs require traffic control.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023

Smith had surged into the lead as the flagman threw the white to signify one lap to go, but it was at the exact moment an 18-truck crash behind him triggered the yellow caution light.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2022

If the one-lane construction zone was too long for the flagmen to see each other, one handed a flag to the last driver permitted through to give to the other flagman.

From Washington Post • Jan. 20, 2022

Once the ducks were gathered, the flock flagman led and his helpers with white flags shooed ducks into line at the back and sides.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2016

The flagman raised his arm, and Cassidy poised his finger over the button of Smith’s bell.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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.