US /ˈdʌstˌmæn/ UK /ˈdʌstmən/
noun Freq #79491

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a person employed to collect household refuse; an old-fashioned British term for a refuse collector

    The dustman emptied the bins before sunrise.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a person employed to... refuse collectorgarbage collectorbinman
More sanitation worker
Word family
Related forms dustcartrubbishwaste collection

Etymology

An English compound of dust and man. Dust once referred broadly to household refuse, including ash and cinders, so a dustman was the worker who removed it.

Topics

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