Bossman

//ˈbɒsmæn// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A male boss or employer. derogatory, informal, mildly, often

    "Valerie nodded her head and added, "The workers don't back you up. They want to cooperate when they don't see the bossman, but as they see the bossman, they get frightened. […]"

  2. 2
    Used as a term of address for an unfamiliar, possibly distrusted man: bud, buddy, friend. informal, vocative

    "You should watch what you say, bossman."

  3. 3
    Used as a term of address for a man who appears courageous: boss. informal, vocative

    "You really showed them, bossman. What’s your name?"

Example

More examples

"Valerie nodded her head and added, "The workers don't back you up. They want to cooperate when they don't see the bossman, but as they see the bossman, they get frightened. […]"

Etymology

From boss + man.

More for "bossman"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.