straphanger

[ strap-hang-er ]

/ ˈstræpˌhæŋ ər /

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noun

a passenger who stands in a crowded bus or subway train and holds onto a strap or other support suspended from above.

any user of such public transportation.

Nearby words

strap work, strap-hinge, strap-laid, strap-oil, straphang, straphanger, strapless, strapline, strappado, strapped, strapped for

Origin of straphanger

First recorded in 1900–05; strap + hanger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for straphanger

Straphanger (in first-class compartment, to first-class passenger).
Mr. Punch's Life in London|Various

British Dictionary definitions for straphanger

straphanger

/ (ˈstræpˌhæŋə) /

noun

informal a passenger in a bus, train, etc, who has to travel standing, esp by holding on to a strap

Derived Forms

straphanging, noun

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