as in stevedore
one who loads and unloads ships at a port
sought work as a roustabout on the city's seedy waterfront
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Recent Examples of roustabout
West End performer Simon Bailey takes on the lead role of a modern-day showman, while newcomer Aaliya Mai makes her professional debut as Max, a shy young roustabout.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Sep. 2024
The musical’s book by Rick Elice, based not just on the 2011 movie but also on the 2006 novel by Sara Gruen, is set among the performers and roustabouts of a ramshackle circus at the depths of the Depression.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
With only an eighth-grade education — there was no high school near his isolated farm — Dad supported a family on an oil worker’s pay, rising through the ranks from roustabout to toolpusher and finally assistant foreman at Shell’s Ventura lease.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023
Cox would work his way up from a roustabout and roughneck to eventually leading an oil and gas company as well as other notable businesses.
—Dallas News, 7 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for roustabout
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Sep. 2024
The musical’s book by Rick Elice, based not just on the 2011 movie but also on the 2006 novel by Sara Gruen, is set among the performers and roustabouts of a ramshackle circus at the depths of the Depression.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
With only an eighth-grade education — there was no high school near his isolated farm — Dad supported a family on an oil worker’s pay, rising through the ranks from roustabout to toolpusher and finally assistant foreman at Shell’s Ventura lease.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023
Cox would work his way up from a roustabout and roughneck to eventually leading an oil and gas company as well as other notable businesses.
—Dallas News, 7 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for roustabout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roustabout
Noun
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His father, Ryozo, a sumo wrestler from Fukuoka Prefecture, became a stevedore and owner of a dry cleaning shop in Hawaii.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
But then what’s with all the stevedores from central casting?—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Tommy Lasorda, who was then the third-base coach, ran past me, yelling everything a longshoreman would utter on a bad day at these two guys.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
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The moment outside offered a welcome moment of comfort for Padilla — a longshoreman at the Port of Oakland — and Nunez, who has seen orders to her Bay and Bloom charcuterie business spike as residents plan more outdoor events in the summerlike temperatures.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the tough comparisons did not stop the port’s dockworkers from handling the highest total number of TEUs in North America, both for March and the first quarter.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Mamdani’s current chief of staff Elle Bisgaard-Church will serve as chair, while other new members include a Bronx high school teacher and a former dockworker.—
Laura Nahmias,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roustabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roustabout. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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