Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who operates, inspects, or repairs brakes, especially a railroad employee who assists the conductor and checks on the operation of a train's brakes.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A man whose business is to apply the brakes on a railroad-train which are operated by hand.
  • noun 2. In mining, the man in charge of the winding-engine.
  • noun Sometimes spelled breakman, and in Great Britain often called brakesman.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Railroads) A man in charge of a brake or brakes.
  • noun (Mining) The man in charge of the winding (or hoisting) engine for a mine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US A railroad employee responsible for a train's brakes, couplings etc

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a railroad employee responsible for a train's brakes

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Guadalajara godfathers authorized a push training track, 70 meters from start to stopping place, a rude barricade, a stack of old auto tires in case the brakeman is caught napping.

    Mexico has a bobsled team? 2005

  • Guadalajara godfathers authorized a push training track, 70 meters from start to stopping place, a rude barricade, a stack of old auto tires in case the brakeman is caught napping.

    Mexico has a bobsled team? 2005

  • "You will see it on my ticket if you look in your wallet;" but this, of course, the magnate refused to do, and when another hoot of the whistle announced the engineer's impatience he called a brakeman, saying:

    Lorimer of the Northwest Harold Bindloss 1905

  • Spitting on his hands he called a brakeman with a transom hook out of the sleeper, to fish with, they rolled up their trousers and waded in, after telling a porter to bring a blanket to put the pieces in.

    Peck's Compendium of Fun 1878

  • Jeff even knew all of the railroad yards south of San Francisco where Cassady was a train brakeman.

    Trackin' Neal Cassady In San Miguel de Allende 2008

  • Jeff even knew all of the railroad yards south of San Francisco where Cassady was a train brakeman.

    Trackin' Neal Cassady In San Miguel de Allende 2008

  • “Chicago!” called the brakeman, drawing the word out long.

    Sister Carrie 2004

  • "All aboard!" called a brakeman, and the Comet Film Company, bag and baggage, started for the train that was to take them to new scenes of activity.

    The Moving Picture Girls at Oak Farm or, Queer Happenings While Taking Rural Plays Laura Lee Hope

  • The brakeman was a good fellow, and one and all encouraged him in the hope that he would pull through.

    The Canadian Elocutionist Anna Kelsey Howard

  • "Oh, Joe's got plenty of nerve -- of the right sort!" called a brakeman, and Joe, nodding at him, recognized a railroad acquaintance who had been present at some of the town ball games.

    Baseball Joe in the Big League or, A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles Lester Chadwick

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