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.

The free market revolutionary as an average Joe, chatting up the workingman.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2022

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

Bruno Sammartino was pro wrestling’s workingman champion and longtime box-office draw.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2018

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

People in motor cars will always give the workingman a lift to Dublin.

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