as in longshoreman
one who loads and unloads ships at a port a trade embargo that was especially hard on the nation's dockhands

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dockhand Two of the eight tainted Tylenol bottles came from Jewel stores in the northwest suburbs, though neither had passed through the Melrose Park warehouse where Arnold had long worked for Jewel as a dockhand. Chicago Tribune, 29 Sep. 2022 Alhonna is the genesis of the crime drama, where screenwriter Bill Dubuque worked as a dockhand in his youth at the comfortable, somewhat dated, lake retreat. Mike and Wendy Pramik, cleveland, 7 July 2022 Just stepping onto the log from the dock, then maintaining balance as the log was pushed out into the water by dockhands with poles, looked like a challenge. David G. Molyneaux, miamiherald, 19 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dockhand
Noun
  • Heroic lead character and longshoreman Terry Malloy stands up to rackets boss Johnny Friendly, gets beaten bloody, and in the final reel leads his fellow longshoremen back into the brutal purgatory of the big city docks.
    Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Dockworkers and longshoremen struck a tentative deal Wednesday night to avoid a damaging strike ahead of a looming January deadline.
    Sophia Vento, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Docks depended on a circulating pool of male maritime workers—crews of seamen and stokers who manned the tramp steamers, gangs of longshoremen, and stevedores who loaded and unloaded goods, as well as artisans and machinists who maintained and repaired the ships and trains.
    Michael Denning, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2015
  • America dodged a sledgehammer on Thursday night, when striking stevedores reached a tentative agreement to return to work.
    Dan Primack, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents West Coast dockworkers, said the extra charges would encourage carriers to unload cargo outside the U.S. and then truck it across the borders with Mexico and Canada.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Key Facts The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents more than 85,000 dockworkers, reached a tentative deal with shippers and port operators Wednesday without disclosing its details, according to ABC News, as the agreement still requires a vote by union members.
    Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dockhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dockhand. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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