motorman

[ moh-ter-muh n ]

/ ˈmoʊ tər mən /

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.

Nearby words

motorhome, motoric, motoring, motorist, motorize, motorman, motormouth, motorship, motorsports, motorway, motown

Origin of motorman

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

Usage note

See -man.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for motorman

He was a desperate character, and drew a razor, with which he frightened everybody off the car, including the motorman.
Notes of an Itinerant Policeman|Josiah Flynt
But the boy was able to look after himself now, for the vehicle was almost at a standstill, and the motorman had it under control.
Baseball Joe of the Silver Stars|Lester Chadwick
He was a motorman on the suburban line, it seemed, and had known Fifi very well.
Queed|Henry Sydnor Harrison
When he got on the bus, did he say anything to the motorman?
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

This is as true for the ship officer as it was for the motorman of the electric car.
Psychology and Industrial Efficiency|Hugo Mnsterberg

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