foreman

[ fawr-muhn, fohr- ]

noun

, plural fore·men.

1. a person in charge of a particular department, group of workers, etc., as in a factory or the like.
2. the member of a jury selected to preside over and speak for all the jurors on the panel.

Foreman

¹

/ ˈfɔːmən /

noun

1. ForemanGeorge1949MUSSPORT AND GAMES: boxer George . born 1949, US boxer: world heavyweight champion (1973–74); retired in 1977 but re-entered the ring in 1987 and won the heavyweight championship in 1994 at age 45

foreman

²

/ ˈfɔːmən /

noun

1. a person, often experienced, who supervises other workmen Gender-neutral formsupervisor
2. law the principal juror, who presides at the deliberations of a jury Female equivalentforewoman

Gender Note

See -man.

Derived Forms

• ˈforemanˌship, noun

Other Words From

• foreman·ship noun
• sub·foreman noun plural subforemen
• sub·foreman·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreman¹

1175–1225; Middle English forman chief servant, steward. See fore-, man

Example Sentences

As the jury foreman returned the verdicts none of the defendants showed any reaction from the dock.

From BBC

Tejada learned how to lay cement — he’s now a foreman for a concrete company — and tried to get young people from his neighborhood into the trade.

From Los Angeles Times

Three construction foremen taking a break in an alleyway on a recent Wednesday are among the most coveted voters in the country: middle-aged Black men and union members, living in Pennsylvania, the largest battleground state.

From Los Angeles Times

It turned out that the family of an archeological foreman in Luxor had been tending to a grove of sycamore fig trees for many generations.

From New York Times

Mr. Blair, a 52-year-old former construction foreman, is an avowed liberal.

From New York Times

Related Words

• superintendent
• supervisor