Meaning & use
roustabout
Last updated
an unskilled laborer who does a variety of manual jobs, especially on an oil rig, ranch, or in a circus.
See it in a sentence
He worked as a roustabout on the drilling platform before training as an engineer.
The traveling circus hired local roustabouts to help set up the tents.
A note on using this word
Historically associated with oil fields and circuses; suggests physically demanding, often temporary work.
Words with a similar meaning
laborerhand
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