foreman

noun

fore·​man ˈfȯr-mən 

: a first or chief person: such as

a

: a member of a jury who acts as chairman and spokesman

b(1)

: a chief and often specially trained worker who works with and usually leads a gang or crew

(2)

: a person in charge of a group of workers, a particular operation, or a section of a plant

foremanship

ˈfȯr-mən-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• boss
• boss man
• captain
• chief
• head
• headman
• helmsman
• honcho
• jefe
• kingpin
• leader
• master
• taskmaster

Examples of foreman in a Sentence

asked the shift foreman if he could take a break

Recent Examples on the Web

But the foreman, who asked that his name be withheld, said that’s not good enough. —Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025

The retrial of Harvey Weinstein ended abruptly Thursday when the jury foreman refused to join the deliberations on the remaining rape charge against the disgraced movie mogul. —Emily Berk, NBC news, 12 June 2025

The judge also said the remaining jurors did not describe anything like the discord and threats recounted by the foreman. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 12 June 2025

Amid all that drama, the judge rejected the foreman’s efforts to exit the case and denied a defense motion to get a mistrial declared. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foreman

• longshoreman
• longshoremen
• metformin
• corpsman
• foremen
• mormon
• warman

Kids Definition

foreman

noun

fore·​man ˈfōr-mən 

ˈfȯr-

1

: a member of a jury who is the leader

2

: a person in charge of a group of workers

Legal Definition

foreman

noun

fore·​man

plural foremen

: a male or female member of a jury who acts as the leader and speaks for the jury