Navvy
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad. UK, historical
"Suppose two lads, fresh from school, go out into the world to earn their living; one becomes a navvy and one a clerk. In five years' time these two young men will probably be very different in appearance from one another. The navvy will have developed his muscles; he will be broad-built, broad-chested, and strong."
- 2 a laborer who is obliged to do menial work wordnet
- 3 an unskilled laborer
- 1 To carry out physical labor on a civil engineering project. UK, historical, intransitive
"But by pretending to believe he's navvied before, I've given him double reason to drive himself hard."
Example
More examples"Suppose two lads, fresh from school, go out into the world to earn their living; one becomes a navvy and one a clerk. In five years' time these two young men will probably be very different in appearance from one another. The navvy will have developed his muscles; he will be broad-built, broad-chested, and strong."
Etymology
Clipping of navigator, in reference to the navigation canals upon which these workers first toiled, + -y.
Related phrases
More for "navvy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.