motorman

[ moh-ter-muhn ]

/ ˈmoʊ tər mən /

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noun, plural mo·tor·men.

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

a person who operates a motor.

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Origin of motorman

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

usage note for motorman

See -man.

Words nearby motorman

motoric, motoring, motorist, motorize, motor lorry, motorman, motor-minded, motor-mouth, motor neuron, motor neurone disease, motor park

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use motorman in a sentence

They proved themselves competent for conductors, but they found the work of motorman too strenuous.
Ways of War and Peace|Delia Austrian
But we're busy with the instruments; leave the motorman alone!
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
Occasionally the motorman looked back, inquisitive to know what the matter was but too far away to hear.
The Rosie World|Parker Fillmore
The motorman turned his red, weather-beaten face to them from the doorway where he stood, pulling on his clumsy gloves.
The Squirrel-Cage|Dorothy Canfield

The passengers streamed out and gathered around the motorman who was peering under the car.
Bunker Bean|Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for motorman

motorman

/ (ˈməʊtəmən) /

noun plural -men

the driver of an electric train

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