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Glite Dictionary
🚦 A signaler 🏁 A race official 🚩 A marker
flagman

flagman

1 5.0
A person who signals with a flag to direct traffic or trains
  • noun
  • /ˈflæɡmən/
  • US
translation icon : 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.

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  • This heroic flagman walked in front of the car to warn fellow citizens of the coming danger.

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  • 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
  • US
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
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
signal worker
vsflagman
  • Jargon
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

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.