SINCE 1828
dictionary
thesaurus
view recents

bagman

noun
Save Word
bag·​man | \ ˈbag-mən How to pronounce bagman (audio) \

Definition of bagman

1 chiefly British : traveling salesman
2 : a person who on behalf of another collects or distributes illicitly gained money broadly : an intermediary in an illicit or unethical transaction

Examples of bagman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Asked outside court if Pietrzyk was a bagman in the scheme, his attorney, Robert Singer of Williamsville, New York, provided a nuanced answer. — Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Aide to ex-UAW VP, GM board member pleads guilty in corruption probe," 22 Oct. 2019 Roberts served as Ike’s financial adviser and executor, and, after Roberts helped arrange his run for President, as his bagman. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 Whatever the answer, Zinke has become a bagman for an administration that wants to cut the program’s funding to a historic low. — Elliott D. Woods, Outside Online, "Ryan Zinke Is Sabotaging Our Best Public Lands Program," 6 June 2018 Chris Mack has emphatically denied any tie to Miller or Christian Dawkins, the associate-slash- bagman. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Xavier collateral damage in FBI's NCAA basketball probe," 23 Feb. 2018 The white-suited bagman, a fixture since 1993 and one of his best friends, wasn't sure. — Rob Hodgetts, CNN, "Fan favorite Phil Mickelson still pushing for grand slam glory," 30 Mar. 2018 The Feds have evidence suggesting former Xavier point guard Edmond Sumner and his father took $7,000 in cash advances from a bagman for a former NBA agent named Andy Miller. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Xavier collateral damage in FBI's NCAA basketball probe," 23 Feb. 2018 And there was this friendly guy who could only be called his bagman. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Where Is the Integrity?," 13 Sep. 2017 Its triad of main characters consists of Eddie Kerrigan, a bagman for a penny-ante racketeer; his charismatic daughter Anna; and Dexter Styles, a dapper nightclub owner and a big cheese in a major crime syndicate. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "The Best New Fiction," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bagman.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of bagman

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about bagman

Statistics for bagman

Cite this Entry

“Bagman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bagman. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA
MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster

Comments on bagman

What made you want to look up bagman? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

abhor

Listen to the pronunciation of abhor

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Who Knew?

  • who knew quiz
  • What is a ruelle?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games