riveter
Americannoun
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a person whose job it is to fasten things by means of rivets, or metal pins.
In building the hull of an iron ship, the work previously done by one man is now divided up among platers, riveters, drillers, and so forth.
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a machine or tool designed to fasten things by means of rivets.
I attached the rack with a pop riveter so that it can handle more weight than would be possible using the double-sided tape.
Etymology
Origin of riveter
Explanation
A person who installs industrial-strength metal fasteners on airplanes or ships is a riveter. The handheld tool used to do the job is also called a riveter. Riveters use special tools to connect metal sheets with rivets, permanent bolt-like fasteners. Riveters helped build many iconic structures, including the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building's steel frame. Today, it's more common to weld metal pieces together in skyscrapers and bridges, but riveters still work on airplanes, ships, and more. The character called Rosie the Riveter was the symbol for millions of women who went to work during World War II.
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.
She learned long ago, holding a riveter in her hand, that limits don’t always apply and anyone can forge a path forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
As a young adult, he attended art classes at night and took whatever blue-collar work came his way, including dishwasher, warehouse stocker and aircraft riveter.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2022
At 97, Susan King still recalls how she came from her family’s home in Virginia’s Lancaster County to work as a riveter, making parts for aircraft at a factory in Baltimore during World War II.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 31, 2021
Testing the cosmic waters will be Rosie the mannequin, decked out in Boeing’s custom blue spacesuit and a red polka dot bandanna modeled after the World War II riveter.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
She was a welder, schoolteacher, riveter, farm worker, toxicologist’s assistant, and stenographer, all throughout the early and mid-1940s.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
