foreman

[fawr-muh n, fohr-]

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noun, plural fore·men.

a person in charge of a particular department, group of workers, etc., as in a factory or the like.

the member of a jury selected to preside over and speak for all the jurors on the panel.

Origin of foreman

1175–1225; Middle English forman chief servant, steward. See fore-, man¹

Related formsfore·man·ship, nounsub·fore·man, noun, plural sub·fore·men.sub·fore·man·ship, noun

Usage note

See -man.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for foreman

superintendent, supervisor, head, honcho, pusher, executive, boss, manager, overseer, taskmaster

Examples from the Web for foreman

Contemporary Examples of foreman

One was Joe Bamberger, the foreman of the composing room, and the other was Joe Callahan, my assistant as city editor.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire
H.L. Mencken
October 4, 2014
The foreman was a fireworks expert and is one of three who have since passed away, taking precious information with him.
New Revelations in JonBenet’s Unsolved Death
Carol McKinley
October 25, 2013
The foreman repeated the word regarding a second charge, accessing a government data base.
Cannibal Cop Now Faces Life in Prison
Michael Daly
March 12, 2013
“We did what we had to do,” the foreman said after the jury was excused.
Cannibal Cop Now Faces Life in Prison
Michael Daly
March 12, 2013
“Guilty,” the foreman said as to the conspiracy to kidnap charge.
Cannibal Cop Now Faces Life in Prison
Michael Daly
March 12, 2013

Historical Examples of foreman

Shorty was a sort of foreman, and was allowed much freedom of speech.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
He was, in fact, a slayer of beasts—a foreman at the slaughter-house.
The Slave Of The Lamp
Henry Seton Merriman
The foreman only glanced at him in silence, and the young man took this for assent.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
He offered the papers to Mr. Parker, but the foreman shook his head.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
"I guess my foreman was right," he told his wife, that evening, with a little satisfaction.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for foreman

foreman

noun plural -men

a person, often experienced, who supervises other workmenGender-neutral form: supervisor

law the principal juror, who presides at the deliberations of a juryFemale equivalent: forewoman

Derived Formsforemanship, noun

Foreman

noun

George . born 1949, US boxer: world heavyweight champion (1973–74); retired in 1977 but re-entered the ring in 1987 and won the heavyweight championship in 1994 at age 45

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

Word Origin and History for foreman

1530s in the sense of "principal juror;" 1570s in the sense of "principal workman;" from fore- + man (n.). Earliest attested meaning (early 13c.) was "a leader." In 17c., a slang word for "penis."