footman

noun

foot·man | \ ˈfu̇t-mən

Definition of footman

1a archaic : a traveler on foot : pedestrian

b : infantryman

2a : a servant in livery formerly attending a rider or required to run in front of his master's carriage

b : a servant who serves at table, tends the door, and runs errands

Examples of footman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spates evolves from a footman of the 1920s, to a schoolteacher, to a public arts administrator, to — in the circle-closing final scene — a part-time hotel manager. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘A Brief History of Women,’ an Alan Ayckbourn Comedy of Tragedies," 2 May 2018 His graciousness as a host is legendary: Decades later, people remember parties lit by candles, with footmen in powdered hair and breeches. — Kennedy Fraser, Vogue, "From the Archives: Karl Lagerfeld, The Impresario," 19 Feb. 2019 Petals were scattered among gigantic candlesticks on the thirty-foot linen runner covering the immense refectory table; each of us was attended by a footman dressed as a hooded monk. — Maureen Orth, Town & Country, "Inside Cartagena," 11 Jan. 2013 Denker tries to take advantage of the new footman but Thomas steps in to get revenge. — Tom Fitzgerald And Lorenzo Marquez, Town & Country, "The 10 Best Downton Abbey Episodes," 12 Sep. 2018 Henry de Greffulhe treated her abysmally, openly carrying on serial affairs with dozens of women all over Paris, his footman ordered to present them with bouquets of orchids every day. — Moira Hodgson, WSJ, "‘Proust’s Duchess’ Review: The Guermantes Trio," 5 July 2018 The busiest time of year was pheasant season, from October to the end of January; guests often arrived in helicopters that landed in the deer park, footmen gathering their luggage and ushering them inside. — David Usborne, Town & Country, "The Mysterious Case of the Parnham House Fire," 29 May 2018 In one episode, Lord Grantham excuses the homosexual behavior of his footman, Thomas, saying such incidents happened regular when Lord Grantham attended Eton, a private school. — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of “A Very English Scandal” and the Trials of a Closeted Gay Politician," 27 June 2018 This is rumored to be because Elizabeth’s was allegedly misplaced by a footman and went missing at some point during her wedding day — much to the dismay of the official photographer. — Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, "Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the pressures of royal wedding traditions," 16 May 2018

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