What does workingmen mean?
Workingmen is the standard plural of working man and denotes men who have jobs, often with a focus on manual, industrial, or lower-paid labour. The expression has a traditional, sometimes historical sound: it was common in trade-union reporting, political writing, and accounts of industrial life, especially in Britain. In ordinary modern conversation, workers may sound more neutral, while employees broadens the focus to salaried as well as manual employment and can include women. The older sense can also imply men doing physical work, and context determines whether it describes a group of employees generally or working-class men specifically. Because the form is explicitly gendered, workingmen should not be used when women are included; workers is usually the more appropriate general term. In phrases such as workingmen's club and workingmen's movement, it forms part of established political and social vocabulary.
plural nounMen who work, especially men engaged in manual, industrial, or other paid employment. By extension, it can refer to employed men considered as a group.
- Men who work, especially those engaged in manual or industrial employment, considered collectively.
"The workingmen gathered outside the factory to discuss the new safety regulations."
"The workingmen left the factory when the shift bell sounded."
"Local newspapers gave workingmen a voice in debates about wages and working conditions."
The standard plural of working man is workingmen. The singular workingman refers to one man, particularly one engaged in manual or industrial work.
"Several workingmen gathered outside the factory."
Workingmen's clubs began in nineteenth-century Britain as places where workers could socialize—and organize.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of workingmen
Workingmen is the conventional plural of working man. The word combines working, ultimately from Old English wyrcan (“to work”), with man, from Old English man (“human being; man”), and follows the traditional -men plural pattern seen in compounds such as workmen and watchmen. Related formations such as worker, workplace, and workshop share the occupational root.
Related word forms
How workingmen is actually used
The word has a traditional or historical tone and often appears in accounts of industrial life, trade unions, and labor politics. It is explicitly gendered; workers is generally preferable when a group includes both men and women.
Easily confused with workingmen
A workman is one man, especially one engaged in manual work, whereas workingmen is the standard plural of working man.