houseman

[ hous-man, -muhn ]

/ ˈhaʊsˌmæn, -mən /

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noun, plural house·men

[hous-men, -muhn]. /ˈhaʊsˌmɛn, -mən/.

a male servant who performs general duties in a home, hotel, etc.

a man employed to maintain order, as in a bar or gambling casino; bouncer.

house detective.

one who represents the management in a gambling house.

British. a medical intern at a hospital.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of houseman

First recorded in 1790–1800; house + man

Words nearby houseman

houseless, houselights, houseline, housemaid, housemaid's knee, houseman, house manager, house mark, house martin, housemaster, housemate

How to use houseman in a sentence

By then, Kelvin Anderson, 56, who lives in Baltimore and worked at the Sheraton for five years as a banquet houseman, will have been out of work for 18 months.
Laid-off hotel employees fight for ‘right to return’ to work|Ovetta Wiggins|September 26, 2021|Washington Post
He worked with John Houseman, Aaron Copeland, Joseph Cotton and many others who were already famous or soon to be.
When Mars Attacked 75 Years Ago—And Everyone Believed It|Marc Wortman|October 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was so much discussion over it that I finally hired a houseman for the especial purpose of having that platform swept.
The Expert Maid-Servant|Cristine Terhune Herrick
To-morrow we will cut out this Houseman's eyes and tongue, so that he may see nothing and tell nothing.
The Doomsman|Van Tassel Sutphen

"As you will," said Houseman; 'but—' Just at that moment, a long shrill whistle sounded below, as from the water.
Eugene Aram, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
"Ay, ay: but not St. Robert's," said Houseman; and the grin of his teeth was visible through the dullness of the shade.
Eugene Aram, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Each of the elder spectators remembered at once the person of Houseman, and the suspicion that had attached to his name.
Eugene Aram, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for houseman

houseman

/ (ˈhaʊsmən) /

noun plural -men

med a junior doctor who is a member of the medical staff of a hospitalUS and Canadian equivalent: intern

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