gamekeeper

American  

[geym-kee-per] / ˈgeɪmˌki pər /

noun

1. a person employed, as on an estate or game preserve, to prevent poaching and provide a natural environment conducive to the propagation of game, as by thinning brush, scattering food after a snowstorm, and the like.

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gamekeeper British  

/ ˈɡeɪmˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person employed to take care of game and wildlife, as on an estate

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Other Word Forms

• gamekeeping
  noun
• undergamekeeper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gamekeeper

First recorded in 1660–70; game ¹ + keeper

Example Sentences

The wife of former gamekeeper David Campbell has told a trial she was not aware of any grievances her husband had with the man he is accused of murdering.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

Robbie Coltrane, who played half-giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the movies, died in October 2022 of multiple organ failure after two years of illness.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2025

"We would have 50 people sat round a big table here sometimes," said Medunov, the hunting gamekeeper in the village of Lysohirka who turns 69 this week.

From Reuters • May 25, 2023

Once the dogs were baying along the rabbit's scent, the gamekeeper ran across the trail ahead of them, dragging a gunny sack of red herrings.

From Salon • May 13, 2023

Perhaps people came shooting here, or else there was a gamekeeper.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Related Words

• administrator
• caretaker
• curator
• superintendent