Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Boilermaker

Boilermaker

1 8.1
A player or fan of Purdue University's sports teams
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbɔɪlərˌmeɪkər/
: Boilermaker
  • The fans cheered loudly, showing their support as true Boilermakers during the football match.

I got Professor Fouchier from Port, from Purdue University, the Boilermakers, and that's a whole town full of engineers right there.

Examples

  • I got Professor Fouchier from Port, from Purdue University, the Boilermakers, and that's a whole town full of engineers right there.

    StarTalk

  • I feel kicked in the teeth, but I am still a Boilermaker and I still support this team.

    Blog text (13)

  • What's a Boilermaker, and what does it have to do with Purdue?

    Blog text (14)

  • The Reamer Club - Mrs. T-Mill and I ended up sitting with the Illinois crew that came over with the Boilermaker Special for most of the game.

    Blog text (4)

  • As a proud Boilermaker, she never misses a basketball game at Purdue University.

  • Every year, the Boilermaker community comes together to celebrate their achievements in college sports.

Synonyms

sports fan
vsBoilermaker
45 1.3

A person who loves watching and supporting sports teams

is specific to supporters or players tied to one university
rooter
vsBoilermaker
  • Informal
1 6.8

A person who loudly cheers for a sports team at games

refers specifically to supporters or players tied to one university

Compounds

boilermaker
  • US
1 7.9

A glass of beer served with a shot of whiskey

Surface Forms

Boilermaker main
Boilermakers main

Morphology

Boilermaker = boiler + maker (opaque) = boiler + maker

Although built from 'boiler' + 'maker', the proper-name sense referring to Purdue affiliates is a historical/metonymic nickname and cannot be inferred by learners from the components.

Etymology

Boilermaker comes from workers who made large steam boilers and so were called 'boiler makers'. Because Purdue was an engineering school with many students who built and fixed boilers, the name became the nickname for its teams and fans, so today a Boilermaker is a player or supporter of Purdue University.