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gripman

American  
[grip-muhn] / ˈgrɪp mən /

noun

  • gripmen
    plural
  1. a worker on a cable car who operates the grip, which, by grasping or releasing the moving cable, starts or stops the car.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of gripman

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; grip + -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:

He said airlines wouldn’t hire him for flying jobs, and he supported his family as a trolley gripman.

From Washington Post Sep. 22, 2021

When the gripman grips, the cable car moves steadily up the steepest hill, protected by three sets of brakes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Passengers scurry for seats while the gripman and conductor swing the tiny car on the turntable until it faces uphill.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the middle stands the gripman holding a lever like an oversized emergency brake.

From Time Magazine Archive

Men shouted and women screamed, and a clanging cable-car from a cross street was saved from collision only by the prompt efforts of its gripman.

From Rick Dale, A Story of the Northwest Coast by Kirk Munroe

Next in importance to the traveling public come the human beings that work on the street railroad—the conductors, motormen, gatemen, gripmen, engineers, etc.

From Editorials from the Hearst Newspapers by Arthur Brisbane

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