swagman

[ swag-muhn ]

/ ˈswæg mən /

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noun, plural swag·men.Australian.

a tramp, hobo, or vagabond.

anyone who carries a swag while traveling, as a camper or prospector.

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Origin of swagman

First recorded in 1875–80; swag² + -man

Words nearby swagman

swagger, swagger coat, swaggering, swagger stick, swaggie, swagman, Swahili, swain, Swainson's hawk, Swainson's thrush, S.W.A.K.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swagman in a sentence

And still he went doggedly on, with the ghastly daylight on him—like a swagman's ghost out late.
Over the Sliprails|Henry Lawson
This softened the heart and loosed the tongue of the old swagman.
The Book of the Bush|George Dunderdale
A valid claim to satisfaction was thus established, and the swagman showed a disposition to enforce it.
The Book of the Bush|George Dunderdale
The swagman dodged and parried, and soon put in a swinging blow on the left temple.
The Book of the Bush|George Dunderdale

He remembered that it had been his impression that the swagman bore his father a grudge, and the thought made him uneasy.
The Childerbridge Mystery|Guy Boothby

British Dictionary definitions for swagman

swagman

/ (ˈswæɡˌmæn, -mən) /

noun plural -men

Australian and NZ informal a labourer who carries his personal possessions in a pack or swag while travelling about in search of work; vagrant workerAlso called: swagger, swaggie

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