straphanger
noun
strap·hang·er
ˈstrap-ˌhaŋ-ər 
: 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
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
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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
See More
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
Dictionary Entries Near straphanger
Cite this Entry
“Straphanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straphanger. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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