Meaning & use
rigger
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A worker who sets up ropes, cables and lifting gear to hoist or secure heavy loads or equipment.
Grammar: Often part of a compound: a stage rigger.
Patterns
- a rigger on something
The rigger checked each cable before the crane lifted the steel beam.
Two riggers hung the speakers above the stage.
A skilled rigger can estimate the weight of a load by eye.
nouncountablespecialist
A sailor or shipyard worker who fits and maintains the masts, ropes and sails of a sailing ship.
Grammar: Used in sailing and shipbuilding, and often found in the phrase ship rigger.
Patterns
- a ship's rigger
The rigger climbed the mast to replace a worn line.
Riggers prepared the yacht for the race.
He apprenticed as a rigger at the harbor.
nouncountablespecialist
A worker on an oil platform who handles drilling equipment, usually called an oil rigger.
Grammar: Usually appears with oil, as in oil rigger.
Patterns
- an oil rigger
Her uncle worked as an oil rigger in the North Sea.
The rigger spent three weeks offshore at a time.
Riggers on the platform wore bright orange suits.
Word forms
| plural | riggers |
|---|
Common combinations
- stage rigger
- The stage rigger fixed the lights above the dancers.
- oil rigger
- An oil rigger earns a high wage but works long shifts.
- ship's rigger
- The ship's rigger repaired the torn sail.
- qualified rigger
- Only a qualified rigger may approve the lifting plan.
- scaffold rigger
- The scaffold rigger tied the poles to the wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hoister
- Hoister is rare and means a person who lifts loads, while rigger covers the whole setup of ropes and cables.
- rope worker
- Rope worker is a plain description, but rigger names a skilled trade with safety duties.
- crane operator
- Crane operator controls the machine itself, whereas a rigger attaches and checks the load.
- roughneck
- Roughneck is an informal term for a worker on an oil rig and does not require the rope skills of a rigger.
Word family
Commonly confused: rigger or rigor?
rigger vs rigor
Rigor means strictness or thoroughness and is not a job title.
Practice
Before the crane lifted the beam, the ___ checked that the cables were secure.
Choose one answer.
A rigger is the worker responsible for ropes and lifting gear. A jogger runs for exercise, a trigger is part of a gun and a digger is a machine or person who digs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rigger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.