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Pullman

1 American  
[pool-muhn] / ˈpʊl mən /
Trademark.
  • Pullmans
    plural
  1. a railroad sleeping car or parlor car.


noun

  • Pullmans
    plural
  1. Also called Pullman case(often lowercase) a large suitcase.

  2. George Mortimer, 1831–97, U.S. inventor and railroad car designer.

Pullman 2 American  
[pool-muhn] / ˈpʊl mən /

noun

  1. a city in SE Washington.


Pullman 1 British  
/ ˈpʊlmən /

noun

  1. Also called: Pullman car.  a luxurious railway coach, esp a sleeping car

"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

Pullman 2 British  
/ ˈpʃulmən /

noun

  1. Philip . born 1946, British author. Writing primarily for older children, he is best known for the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials (1997–2000)

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Pullman

C19: named after George M. Pullman (1831–97), the US inventor who first manufactured such coaches

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.

See Examples For:

A spokesperson for Victoria Police said officers have spoken to several people who were at the Pullman Hotel, but no one was formally interviewed or arrested.

From BBC Aug. 19, 2026

Fourth & Central is intended to feel like a small, walkable community with new buildings that acknowledge the industrial history of the area , architect Alan Pullman said when the project was announced.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 1, 2026

To maintain a meritocracy, a business must hold on to key employees, says Pullman & Comley, a law firm based in Connecticut.

From MarketWatch Feb. 10, 2026

The nominations for Hollywood's most coveted awards were announced by actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

From BBC Jan. 22, 2026

My mother shook her hand and said: “Isabel Pullman, nice to meet you.”

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

“We’d sing anywhere, on Pullmans, buses, the clubhouse,” he said in 1998.

From Washington Post Oct. 5, 2021

I think that's true in the Pullmans almost you know it's an acting that you know I love a poem that enacts what it doesn't describe.

From The New Yorker Oct. 17, 2018

President W. H. Settle of the Indiana Farm Bureau Federation, said that 50 or 75 Hoosier farmers would be taken to Kansas City in special Pullmans attached to the Indiana delegation's train.

From Time Magazine Archive

With a night-splitting roar, it ground into the ties, buckled, and took off over a 55-ft. embankment, pulling with it the second locomotive, a baggage car, three Pullmans and a diner.

From Time Magazine Archive

It had been decided that Mr. Popper should ride in the baggage car with the penguins to keep them from getting nervous, while Mrs. Popper and the children should ride in one of the Pullmans.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

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