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
• leader
• manager
• captain
• chief
• master
• commander

Examples of foreman in a Sentence

asked the shift foreman if he could take a break

Recent Examples on the Web

Jurors returned with a guilty verdict on that charge in the first criminal trial, but after the jury foreman claimed deliberations had devolved into threats of violence, the judge dismissed the seven women and five men who, by that point, had spent six days trying to reach a unanimous decision. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025

During deliberations, the jury foreman expressed to the judge that the jury member were clashing over reaching a verdict. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025

The site’s anxious foreman, Horn (Matt Dillon), protected behind the perimeter fence, yet ruffled by Albouny’s defiance and unflappability, is clearly hiding a terrible truth from the man. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025

Sacco leads on overtime so far in 2025, followed by Cades, foreman Ahmad Barakati, who has made $104,267 in overtime out of $167,845 in pay, Caruso, and Kelly, who has made $95,244 of his $159,348 pay in overtime. —Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 21 July 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