🚦 A signaler 🏁 A race official 🚩 A marker

flagman

1 5.0

A person who signals with a flag to direct traffic or trains

noun
/ˈflæɡmən/

: señalero

During the race, the flagman used his flags to signal when it was safe for the drivers to proceed.

Examples

You got like a trained person with the with the flagman, right, with a light And so.
But the flagman never stops trying.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
This heroic flagman walked in front of the car to warn fellow citizens of the coming danger.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
The flagman waved his flag to instruct the train to slow down near the construction site.
At the busy intersection, the flagman guided the cars safely through the detour.

Synonyms

signalman

vsflagman

Specialized

2 8.1

A person who operates signals and switches for trains

signals manually at worksites using a handheld marker not fixed devices

flagger

vsflagman

1 5.3

A person who uses flags to stop and direct traffic at construction sites

directs both road traffic and trains at worksites rather than only roads

signal worker

vsflagman

Jargon

1 5.6

A railway yard worker who controls and fixes signals and track switches

uses short-term manual signals at worksites rather than maintenance duties

signalwoman

vsflagman

Specialized

8.8

A woman who tells trains when to stop or go and moves track switches in a rail yard

is the same role regardless of worker gender

Surface Forms

flagman singular

flagmen plural

Morphology

flagman = flag + man (transparent) = flag + man

Direct compound: a person who signals using a flag; the occupational sense is a straightforward agentive reading.

Etymology

Flagman comes from the two simple parts flag ('cloth sign') and man ('person'), which together mean 'a person with a flag'. That's why a flagman stands by a road or crossing to signal and safely direct traffic or trains.