goodman
noun
the master of a household; husband.
goodman
1 American
[good-muhn]
/ ˈgʊd mən /
noun
Archaic.
-
goodmen
plural
-
the master of a household; husband.
-
(initial capital letter) a title of respect used for a man below the rank of gentleman, especially a farmer or yeoman.
Goodman
2
American
[good-muhn]
/ ˈgʊd mən /
noun
goodman
1
British
/ ˈɡʊdmən /
noun
-
a husband
-
a man not of gentle birth: used as a title
-
a master of a household
Goodman
2
British
/ ˈɡʊdmən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goodman
Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; see origin at good, -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:
Outside stood the goodman by the barn door, threshing.
From Tales from the Fjeld A Second Series of Popular Tales by P. Chr. Asbj?rnsen
"And I am for goodman Thorne's," said another; and so the party separated.
From William Shakespeare as he lived. An Historical Tale by Henry Curling
"The child-like temper of the people," replied the goodman, "delight in the unwonted and strange, and then many stories are told, that in reality may have happened very differently."
From Gabriel A Story of the Jews in Prague by Spiegfried Kohn
Goodman Asquith had fain pick a bit of dinner in the precincts; The Harcourt watcheth him with rolling eye, And goodman Asquith shivereth.
From Outlook Odes by T. W. H. (Thomas William Hodgson) Crosland
Why, I know time is, and that thou shalt hear, goodman kettle jaws.
From Amusing Prose Chap Books by Various
Essex took an hour to wrap up the last three Sussex wickets despite Cook removing Dom Goodman playing down the wrong line to the first ball of the morning.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Soon, the fun fan shot was replaced by one of those grim before-and-after shots: An obese Goodman in his 30s and the slimmer Goodman in his 70s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“In a rare way, she has both taste and judgment and passion for literature—but also an eye on the market,” says novelist Allegra Goodman, who has published three books with Frick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Otherwise, you sit there and moan and groan and don’t vote. They’re going to do what they want,” David Goodman said.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mrs. Goodman was leaning on the red Coca-Cola box.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Sad-colored mantles the goodmen wore, but their doublets were scarlet, and with their green waistcoats and red caps, surely the Puritan men were sufficiently gayly dressed to suit any fancy save that of a cavalier.
From Sabbath in Puritan New England by Alice Morse Earle
Ho, Phyllis and Kate and bonny Nell Come hither, and buffet the goodmen well, An they gather not for hall and hearth, Fair bays to grace the evening mirth.
From In The Yule-Log Glow—Book 3 Christmas Poems from 'round the World by Harrison S. (Harrison Smith) Morris
Pleasant it is to think of the church appearance of the Puritan goodmen and goodwives.
From Sabbath in Puritan New England by Alice Morse Earle
All the goodmen took one counsel, and went to Hoskuld and told him their trouble.
From Laxdæla Saga Translated from the Icelandic by Muriel A.C. Press
Moreover the goodmen and swains of the said township were no ill folk, but bold of heart, free of speech, and goodly of favour; and the women of them fair, kind, and trusty.
From Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair by William Morris
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.
