tradesman
Americannoun
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a person engaged in trade.
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a worker skilled in a particular craft; artisan; craftsman.
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Chiefly British. a shopkeeper.
noun
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a man engaged in trade, esp a retail dealer
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a skilled worker
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tradesman
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:
Suzanne, a nurse, felt guilty about medical costs and needing so much care and taking Rick, a self-employed tradesman, away from his job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
The first—the shark—comes from Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster Jaws, in which a sheriff, a scientist, and a tradesman roll up their sleeves and put themselves in harm’s way to defeat a ferocious great white.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2024
But he eventually developed a debilitating medical condition due to the injury, according to court documents, leading the skilled tradesman to quit his job.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
A separate tradesman estimated the value of the work completed by Mr McMaster amounted to only £16,000.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
He’s attacking art with the force and fury of a storm, and the tenacity of a tradesman learning a craft.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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On a recent evening in a local pub, two builders asked other patrons for recommendations for tradesmen and were told they had to wait several weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Now, Llŷr and others from the village claim tradesmen are looking for work in different areas.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
“This was an industry of gatekeepers,” he said, adding that master tradesmen ultimately viewed their apprentices — working in the same 10- to 15-mile radius as them — as competition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2025
Here’s how the day usually goes: At 3 p.m. sharp, about 3,500 members of Zurich’s ancient guilds — associations of artisans or tradesmen that date to the Middle Ages — embark on a parade.
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2024
And the tradesmen went round the back way by the old stables and the garage.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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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.