gaffer

noun

gaf·​fer ˈga-fər 

1

: an old man compare gammer

2

British

a

: foreman, overseer

b

: employer

3

: a head glassblower

4

: a lighting electrician on a movie or television set

Did you know?

Though movie and cinema buffs associate gaffer with Hollywood, the word actually pre-dates motion pictures by about 300 years. The first recorded use of gaffer dates from the 16th century, when it was used as a title of respect for an older gentleman. Later it was used as a generic noun for any elderly man, and then it picked up the sense "foreman" (still used in British English), perhaps because the foreman was the most experienced and, most likely, the oldest person in a work crew. Today gaffer is usually applied to the head lighting electrician on a movie set. The gaffer's assistant is called the best boy.

Examples of gaffer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hollywood cinema has ever been a medium of self-reflexivity, mining its own art and business for story material, so the latest depiction of above-the-line talent — oddly, there is a paucity of films about gaffers, best boys, or foley artists — is part of a venerable tradition. —Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025

With Vermes now out at Kansas City, there only two who currently occupy that dual role: San Jose Earthquakes boss Bruce Arena, and Chicago Fire gaffer Gregg Berhalter. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

But the Colorado gaffer was not alone in shrinking in the moment. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

One lady was a stage manager, another read lines with actors, someone else was a gaffer. —Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

phonetic reduction of godfather entry 1 (with initial vowel perhaps from grandfather entry 1)

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gaffer

• kaffir
• staffer
• anaphor
• semaphore
• cartographer
• telegrapher

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