bagman
Americannoun
plural
bagmen-
dishonest official; a person who collects, carries, or distributes illegal payoff money.
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British. a traveling salesman; drummer.
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Australian. a tramp; swagman.
noun
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informal a travelling salesman
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slang a person who collects or distributes money for racketeers
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informal a person who solicits money or subscriptions for a political party
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history a tramp or swagman, esp one on horseback
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Also called: bagswinger. slang someone who takes money for a bookmaker
Etymology
Origin of bagman
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His experience demonstrates that far from ridding sports of backroom deals and bagman boosters, the deluge of legal NIL money incentivizes and gives cover to the illicit market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
And never has there been a more appropriate bagman to assist the biggest win of a career to date.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2024
Their first mission, which is to track a bagman with a suitcase in the Madrid airport is a nifty sequence, which gets the film off to a good start.
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2023
Braun singled out Chiang, an admitted bagman, as especially untrustworthy.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023
She had asked herself more than once why he was there; and why no coach stopped, no chaise changed horses, no rider passed or bagman halted, without running the gauntlet of his eye.
From Starvecrow Farm by Weyman, Stanley J.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
