straphanger

noun

strap·​hang·​er ˈstrap-ˌhaŋ-ər How to pronounce straphanger (audio)
: a standing passenger in a subway, streetcar, bus, or train who clings for support to one of the short straps or similar devices placed along the aisle
straphang intransitive verb

Examples of straphanger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Two other straphangers helped restrain him, and video that captured part of the encounter shows Neely, a Michael Jackson impersonator, slowly go limp then die. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 5 May 2023 The 30-year-old was killed Monday during a confrontation where a straphanger put him in a lethal chokehold aboard a subway car. Emma Seiwell, al, 26 Jan. 2023 The straphanger’s cheek became bloodied. Collier Meyerson, Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022 On the 7 train, which runs from Manhattan to Queens, Benita sits uncomfortably among straphangers wearing surgical masks and KN95s. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2023 So he’s resigned to being a straphanger. BostonGlobe.com, 21 Dec. 2022 The videos shared on social media are like something calculated to bring a New York straphanger to the edge of a deep and primal panic, and possibly over that edge. Willy Blackmore, Curbed, 20 July 2021 New York City police announced Tuesday the arrest of a homeless man suspected of pushing a straphanger into the subway tracks in Brooklyn over the weekend. Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 24 Nov. 2020 Transit activists, transit executives, disability-rights advocates, labor leaders, bus and subway workers, good-government gadflies, and straphangers from every borough expressed shock and dismay. William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straphanger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of straphanger was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near straphanger

Cite this Entry

“Straphanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straphanger. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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