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definitions

hired hand

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hired hand ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a hired laborer, especially on a farm or ranch; farm hand or ranch hand.
an employee.

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RELATED WORDS

agent, apprentice, assistant, attendant, breadwinner, clerk, cog, craftsperson, domestic, hand, help, hireling, jobholder, laborer, member, operator, plug, representative

Nearby words

  1. hire out,
  2. hire purchase,
  3. hire-purchase,
  4. hire-purchase system,
  5. hired gun,
  6. hiree,
  7. hireling,
  8. hiri motu,
  9. hiring hall,
  10. hiring-fair

Origin of hired hand

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Idioms and Phrases with hired hand

hired hand

Also, hired man or girl. A person engaged to assist with farm or domestic chores, as in We need extra hired hands during the harvest, or She was looking for a hired girl to do the laundry. This use of hired dates from the 1200s and referred to someone employed for wages as opposed to a slave or serf. The use of girl now may be offensive.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.