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factory worker

factory worker

23 1.3
A person who works in a factory doing physical work on machines and assembly lines
  • noun
  • /ˈfæktəri ˈwɜrkər/
translation icon : trabajador de fábrica
  • In many cases, they have let go of factory workers.
  • unskilled factory worker
  • garment factory worker
  • woman factory worker

The system is there to make you fit as a cog in a massive machine and just be someone that fits into the system as a factory worker.

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Examples

  • By 1993, tens of thousands of factory workers, bank employees, and retail store clerks had lost their jobs.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The African American factory workers promised never to return to domestic work.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In reality, the majority of the new work opportunities for women were as factory workers.

    Academic text (2007)
  • American factory workers were laid off by the tens of thousands.

  • The message is these factory workers are absolutely fine and they're just like us.

  • "When we lived in Tampere, we got to see how a lot of the factory workers live.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • It requires thousands of factory workers, truck drivers, engineers and healthcare workers.

  • We've got to meet a payroll by the end of the month for 2,000 factory workers.

  • He toured across the country, meeting factory workers and giving speeches.

  • Mr. President, I was a factory worker for 27 years before the plant closed down last year.

Synonyms

worker
vsfactory worker
600 1.0

A person employed to do physical or routine jobs

is narrower, meaning someone doing manual production in factories
laborer
vsfactory worker
  • US
68 1.0

A person who does hard physical work without special skills, often on building sites

applies more to indoor production tasks in manufacturing environments
working person
vsfactory worker
49 2.8

A person who does manual or factory work for pay, not a manager

applies specifically to manual production roles inside manufacturing sites
machinist
vsfactory worker
18 4.9

A skilled person who operates and repairs machines to make metal parts

is less technical, focusing on basic manual tasks in production
workman
vsfactory worker
13 1.4

A person who does physical jobs like building or fixing things

is the inclusive label for manual production employees regardless of gender
steelworker
vsfactory worker
11 3.2

A person who makes steel in a factory

is broader, covering manual production in many material types
autoworker
vsfactory worker
5 3.1

A person who works in a factory making cars or trucks

is broader, covering manual roles across many manufacturing sectors
line worker
vsfactory worker
4 2.6

A person who works on an assembly line doing the same tasks

is specific to manual production jobs inside manufacturing sites
workingman
vsfactory worker
3 2.9

A man who does manual work, often in a factory or on a building site

is the gender neutral term for manual production employees
metalworker
vsfactory worker
2 3.5

A person who makes things from metal, often by hammering or welding

is the general manual production term across materials and trades
manual laborer
vsfactory worker
  • US
1 3.0

A person who does hard work using their hands

is focused on manual production tasks within manufacturing locations
garment worker
vsfactory worker
1 2.6

A person who makes clothes in a factory or workshop

covers manual production jobs beyond the clothing sector
garment-worker
vsfactory worker
1 3.5

A person who makes clothes in a factory or workshop

is the general term for manual roles inside manufacturing settings
millworker
vsfactory worker
1 2.9

A person who works in a mill operating machines to make things

is broader, including many kinds of manual production tasks
sewing-machine operator
vsfactory worker
3.8

A person who uses a sewing machine to join cloth in a factory or workshop

refers generally to manual production work not limited to textiles
mill-hand
vsfactory worker
6.9

A person who works in a mill or factory operating machines

applies to manual roles across different manufacturing locations
ironworker
vsfactory worker
4.4

A person who makes and shapes things from iron

describes manual production roles beyond a single material focus
laborist
vsfactory worker
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who does physical work with their hands

is the common modern term for manual production staff
garmentmaker
vsfactory worker
4.9

A person who makes clothes by sewing

is broader, covering many manual production tasks beyond garments

How Skilled

engineer
729 3.2
technician
  • Specialized
184 3.7
operator
268 3.0
factory worker
23 1.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

factory + worker

The meaning 'a person employed to work in a factory' is directly and compositionally derived from 'factory' (place of production) + 'worker' (person who performs work). This place+agent compounding is a standard and cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The name factory worker comes from the time when a large building called a factory used many workers to run machines and make goods. So, it means 'a person who works in a factory doing physical jobs'.