straphanger
noun
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Definition of straphanger
: 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
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Other words from straphanger
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intransitive verb
Examples of straphanger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those officers will be tasked with building relationships with Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees and straphangers by riding the subways and patrolling stations. — Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "De Blasio to Move ‘Neighborhood Policing’ Idea to Subway Lines," 12 Apr. 2018 Cyclists simply know more about how the streets work than drivers do in the same way that subway rats are more attuned to the workings of the transit system than the typical straphanger. — Eben Weiss, Outside Online, "The Ethics of Breaking Traffic Laws," 11 Apr. 2018 The straphanger suffered bruising and swelling to his face. — Fox News, "Person of interest ID'd in Times Square subway station attack," 8 Mar. 2018 But they weren't told the band's singer and lead guitarist would be among their fellow straphangers. — Scott Roxborough, Billboard, "U2's Bono and The Edge Give Private Concert in Berlin Subway," 6 Dec. 2017 The fact that nearly 30 percent of straphangers at Euston Station moving from the southbound Victoria line to the northbound Northern line take an elongated route through the main station concourse suggests there’s a wayfinding problem. — Henry Grabar, Slate Magazine, "A brilliant experiment is helping the London subway find out how people really travel.," 16 Oct. 2017 The good news for Chicago straphangers, at least from a sanitary standpoint, is that the CTA may be making the switch to cloth-free seats. — John Greenfield, Chicago Reader, "CTA’s cloth seat coverings, source of public transit horror stories, might be replaced," 9 Oct. 2017 Yesterday straphangers got a surprise in the form of regal modeling legend Iman, who brought her supermodel style underground, quite literally. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Iman Rides the Subway in New York, Looks Totally Flawless Despite the Heat," 20 July 2017 And now, see: the New York City subway system, where a Friday morning downpour created some, er, soggy conditions for exasperated straphangers. — Martine Powers, Washington Post, "Check out this shocking ‘tropical waterfall’ inside a New York subway station," 7 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straphanger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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