shop steward

American

noun

a unionized employee elected to represent a shop, department, or the like, in dealings with an employer.

shop steward British

noun

a coworker elected by trade union members to represent them in discussions and negotiations with the management

"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

Etymology

Origin of shop steward

First recorded in 1910–15

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:

shop steward

The stock controller, who is also Unite shop steward, said Leadec had set up a foodbank to support its workers facing extreme hardship.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025

“I don’t feel bad for her that she got a decrease,” said Jimi Hadley, UPS package driver in Roswell, Georgia, and Teamsters shop steward.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023

Conversations no longer focused on his dad’s latest story, but on the duties he had to fulfill as a union shop steward.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023

As a union shop steward, Guerdan had spent many extremely cold days this winter marching in the picket line.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 9, 2023

The shop steward was a goad, annoying, perhaps even infuriating, but tolerable.

From Meeting of the Board by Nourse, Alan Edward

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023