roustabouts

noun

plural of roustabout
as in stevedores
one who loads and unloads ships at a port sought work as a roustabout on the city's seedy waterfront

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roustabouts
  1. stevedores
  2. longshoremen
  3. dockworkers
Noun
  • The stevedores of the ship (who were responsible for loading and unloading ships at the port) were also on a break.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But then what’s with all the stevedores from central casting?
    — Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Definition of stevedores
Noun
  • The state of Maryland followed, as did a group of Baltimore longshoremen who filed a class action lawsuit arguing the companies should reimburse them for wages lost while the port was closed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 May 2026
  • Consumers, including the longshoremen and their families, would enjoy lower costs and better service.
    — Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of longshoremen
Noun
  • For 17 generations, Wietse Van Der Werf’s forebears toiled as dockworkers, shipbuilders, and sea captains in the Netherlands and its colonies.
    — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026
  • Last September, three dockworkers were arrested after more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine were found hidden behind a false wall in a shipping container on the Sydney waterfront.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 June 2026
Definition of dockworkers
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

roustabout
roustabouts
rousted
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Cite this Entry

“Roustabouts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roustabouts. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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