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Glite Dictionary
ganger

ganger

1 9.1
A person who leads a small group of manual workers on a railway or construction site
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæŋɚ/
  • UK
translation icon : capataz
  • As the ganger, he was responsible for overseeing the team on the railway line.

Examples

  • Probably one of those crack-tagging gangers or something.

    Trojan War (1997)

  • Ganger is taking a break, and Cul has retired, leaving only me, Spi, and Reece.

    Blog text (17)

  • Meth-snorting peckerwood gangers.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The ganger organized the workers before they began the construction project.

  • The ganger held a meeting to discuss safety procedures with his crew.

Synonyms

foreman
vsganger
187 3.1

A person who directs and watches workers on a building site or in a factory

is similar but focuses on outdoor manual projects like railways and construction
gaffer
vsganger
  • UK
1 8.1

A person in charge of workers on a work site

is used especially for people who lead crews on railways or construction sites
yardmaster
vsganger
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A person who manages trains and cargo in a rail yard

is broader applying to anyone who leads manual work crews on sites
tasker
vsganger
1 4.9

A person who gives work to other people

is more hands on leading crews on physical sites rather than only assigning

How Senior

manager
∞ 1.6
supervisor
346 2.8
ganger
  • UK
1 9.1
worker
600 1.0
teamer
1 3.5

Surface Forms

ganger singular
gangers plural

Morphology

ganger = gang (semi-transparent) = gang + er

The word is transparently formed from 'gang' + '-er', but the occupational sense refers specifically to a foreman or crew leader rather than just any member of a gang.

Etymology

Ganger comes from the word gang meaning 'group' and the little part -er meaning 'one who'. So a ganger is the person in charge of a gang or crew of workers, which is why the word means a foreman on railways and construction sites.