workingman

American

[wur-king-man] / ˈwɜr kɪŋˌmæn /

noun

plural

workingmen

a man of the working class; a man, whether skilled or unskilled, who earns his living at some manual or industrial work.

Gender

See -man.

Etymology

Origin of workingman

First recorded in 1630–40; working + 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.

For all his workingman credibility, running as a Conservative can still be a bruising experience.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2019

They want the moribund broadsheet to trounce the Daily Mail and become the voice of the British workingman.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 29, 2019

It’s what a workingman might eat standing up while his daintier compatriots nibble on nigiri at a proper sushi bar; sushi that occasionally improves in a 7-Eleven refrigerator case.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2017

Historians still debate over whom, specifically, to credit with the idea of a holiday dedicated to the workingman.

From Slate • Sep. 4, 2015

I’m dying to go around with Mr. Hannon on the great float like a real workingman.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023