signalman

[sig-nl-muhn]

noun

plural

signalmen 

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

signalman

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• undersignalman noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of signalman¹

First recorded in 1730–40; signal + -man

Example Sentences

His father was a railway signalman and his mother came from a mining family.

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on Seattle Times

The Association of American Railroads trade group said in a statement that the new dispatcher and signalmen rules aren’t likely to make a significant improvement in safety because the railroads already train their employees.

Read more on Seattle Times

The newlyweds originally met on a train eight years ago, and Ms Anderson's father, who gave her away, was a railway signalman for 51 years.

Read more on BBC

Her father was a railway signalman, union official and former merchant seaman who claimed that her pram was crammed full of Labour literature during the campaign that led to Labour's 1945 landslide election victory.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• caretaker 
• custodian 
• patrolman 
• policeman 
• warden