plumber
Americannoun
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plumbers
plural
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a person who installs and repairs piping, fixtures, appliances, and appurtenances in connection with the water supply, drainage systems, etc., both in and out of buildings.
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Slang. an undercover operative or spy hired to detect or stop leaks of news or secret information, often using questionable or illegal methods, as illegal entry or wiretapping.
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Obsolete. a worker in lead or similar metals.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of plumber
1375–1425; 1965–70 plumber for def. 2; late Middle English, spelling variant of Middle English plowber ≪ Late Latin plumbārius leadworker; replacing Middle English plummer < Anglo-French; Old French plummier < Latin, as above. See plumb, -er 2
Explanation
A plumber is someone whose job includes fixing pipes and installing water and sewage systems. If your kitchen sink is clogged, a plumber is the person to call. Plumbers's work ranges from relatively simple tasks like repairing toilets and removing clogs from drains, to much more complicated jobs including replacing all the old corroded pipes in a bathroom floor with new ones. The word plumber has been around since ancient Rome, when a plumber was "anyone who works with lead," and lead was a common material for pipes, baths, drains, and conduits. Fixing anything made of lead (which included roofs) made someone a plumber back then.
Vocabulary lists containing plumber
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.
See Examples For:
Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd, a senior who works as a public-health scientist, called a plumber when she started feeling sick from fumes in her Washington, D.C., home—a smell she described as “like feces.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Even though people are willing to spend $5,000 on a toilet, they end up hiring a plumber who doesn’t install it properly, which becomes an expensive mistake, Linn said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
A handsome plumber was as likely to get in as a couture-clad socialite; once inside, he might find himself chatting up Mick Jagger or dancing with Liza Minnelli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They said he was excited to be starting college in August to study to be a plumber and electrician, but that he also loved computer games and football.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
She’s also on a first-name basis with a local plumber, who’s learning to deal with my pushy roots.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
The researchers say the register lays bare the breadth of which individuals contributed financially to the slave trade - from monarchs and politicians, to plumbers and clergymen.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
But they were also musicians and scientists and doctors and plumbers and farmers and mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and very often children.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Nationwide, employers are struggling to fill around 160 types of jobs, ranging from careworkers to plumbers, according to the FEA.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
AFSCME’s members include custodians, gardeners, dining hall food service staff, transportation workers and skilled craft workers such as plumbers and electricians.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The Louvre was so large it had its own plumbers.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
