Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

motorman

American  
[moh-ter-muhn] / ˈmoʊ tər mən /

noun

motormen plural
  1. a person who operates or drives an electrically operated vehicle, as a streetcar or subway train.

  2. a person who operates a motor.


motorman British  
/ ˈməʊtəmən /

noun

  1. the driver of an electric train

  2. the operator of a motor

"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

Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of motorman

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; motor + -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.

A transit porter and motorman with the New York City subway in the 1980s, Mr. Naiden was active in a tiny communist cell within the union, endorsing free fares and encouraging turnstile hopping.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The conductor and motorman, not yet aboard, ran to catch the car, but its fender knocked Rene down, and she was seriously injured.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2023

Her husband Milton Deoth has been a sailor for over two decades and works as a motorman on MT Heroic Idun.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022

At the time, he was earning about $31.30 an hour as a motorman.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2022

The wheels slowed, clickety-clack, find the fifth, clickety-clack, find the fifth, as the motorman applied the brake and the train made its way ’round a steep mountain curve.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "motorman" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com