Skip to main content
teamster

teamster

9 6.6
A person who drives a truck for a living, often a member of a drivers union
  • noun
  • /ˈtiːmstər/
  • US
translation icon : transportista
  • The teamster arrived early in the morning to deliver the shipment of goods.
  • teamsters union
  • teamsters drivers

He's a fourth generation Teamster himself and he's from Boston.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Teamsters' wagons hauled supplies to the new settlements from various Colorado River ports, including Hardyville near Camp Mojave.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Saturday, November 10th: "Teamsters are answering the Red Cross's call to help distribute clean-up kits and supplies to victims of Hurricane Sandy."

    Blog text (14)
  • Just had a teamster come and drop me off.

  • You must be a teamster.

  • They made him a teamster.

  • Teamsters enrolled in the pension system.

    Academic text (2014)
  • He's a fourth generation Teamster himself and he's from Boston.

  • In June, rank and file UPS Teamsters authorized a strike.

  • We're getting photos of Teamsters packing and loading supplies in New Jersey warehouses.

    Blog text (14)
  • The Teamsters rented buses to help move volunteers to staging areas, and Teamsters are driving them.

    Blog text (14)

Synonyms

driver
vsteamster
1.0

A person who controls a car or bus

is specific to the truck occupation and its North American union link
trucker
vsteamster
  • US
69 3.4

A person who drives a truck to carry goods over long distances

can imply a union identity in North America beyond the job role
truck driver
vsteamster
  • US
67 1.2

A person who moves goods long distances in a large truck

emphasizes North American union membership as part of the occupation
hauler
vsteamster
  • US
10 4.1

A person or company that moves goods by truck on roads

is narrower, focusing on the individual worker and union identity
truckie
vsteamster
  • UK
1 9.4

A person who drives a truck for a living, usually in Australia or the UK

is more closely tied to union membership and North American usage
truckster
vsteamster
  • US
7.4

A person who drives a truck for work

highlights North American union affiliation in addition to the job

Surface Forms

teamster singular
teamsters plural

Morphology

teamster = team (semi-transparent) = team + ster

The occupational meaning for truck drivers and the union is an extended, specialized sense from the original 'driver of a team', so the morphological relation is clear but the specific modern meaning is shifted.

Etymology

The word teamster later moved from horses to trucks because when trucks replaced animal teams the same name stayed for the drivers, and that is why today teamster often means a truck driver and a member of the Teamsters Union.