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signalman

American  
[sig-nl-muhn] / ˈsɪg nl mən /

noun

plural

signalmen

  1. a person whose occupation or duty is signaling, as on a railroad or in the army.

signalman British  
/ ˈsɪɡnəlmən /

noun

  1. a railway employee in charge of the signals and points within a section

  2. a man who sends and receives signals, esp in the navy

"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

  • undersignalman noun

Etymology

Origin of signalman

First recorded in 1730–40; signal + -man

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.

Albert Lamond, from Glasgow, was an 18-year-old signalman aboard HMS Rowley when he took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

Tarr followed with “The Man From London,” which he and Krasznahorkai adapted from a novel by Georges Simenon, about a seaside railway signalman who confronts a moral quandary involving a murder mystery.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Jacobs was 17 when he joined the Navy in November 1944, after D-Day, and became a Navy signalman.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024

The first lady was one of those kids; she’s the daughter of a Navy signalman.

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023

The train was pulled by Stephenson's engine, operated by Stephenson himself, with a signalman riding on horseback in advance.

From Great Inventions and Discoveries by Piercy, Willis Duff

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.