What does "plumber" mean?
One who works in or with lead.
Plumber
/ˈplʌm.ɚ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who works in or with lead.
- Grammar: plumber is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: builder, craftsman, flusher, handyman.
- Useful contrasts: layperson, nonmetalworker, nonprofessional.
- Usage evidence: Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends.
How to use "plumber"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plumber" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plumber" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plumber" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plumber" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plumber" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "builder" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plumber", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who works in or with lead. dated
- 2 a craftsman who installs and repairs pipes and fixtures and appliances wordnet
- 3 One who furnishes, fits, and repairs pipes and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage.
- 4 One who furnishes, fits, and repairs pipes and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage.; One who installs piping for potable and waste water.
- 5 A person who investigates or prevents leaks of information.
"It involved the break-in of the office of Mr. Lewis Fielding, Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, by the White House “plumbers.”"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 In the Royal Navy, an apprentice, a boy aged 16 to 18, who is trained in technical skills at the Dockyard Schools to become an artificer. British, informal
- 7 A urologist. derogatory, slang
"[…] began the month with an operation at St. Joseph Hospital in Aurora, Ill. His surgeon, by the way, was a "plumber” – urologist."
Verb
- 1 To botch or ruin. US, slang, transitive
"There is nothing to work him into a fine feeling of agony and despair like an exam scheduled for the next day, or a paper to write, or a concert in which he is to sing. Wish him the top of the morning when he is looking forward to one of these events, and then hear the woeful story of how badly he is going to be plumbered."
- 2 To work as a plumber. informal, intransitive, rare
"Joe Staudinger plumbered so well that on Saturday night boiling water came from both hot and cold faucets."
- 3 To work on (something) as a plumber. informal, rare, transitive
"PIPES PLUMBERED BY US stay plumbered till they wear out. No leaky joints or splitting follow our work. How about the pipes on your steam or hot water heater? Don’t they need repacking or perhaps replacing? HAVE US LOOK AT THEM NOW."
- 4 To do, work, devise (something). rare, slang, transitive
"Q. [Mr. Goodman] At the period of time we have spoken of, that strike settled down, did it not, in 1910 and 1911, and there was no strike? A. [Fred C. Schanberger] No. Q. What happened to the Vaudeville Managers’ Co-operative Association’s activities at that time? A. Oh, they kind of plumbered it along and I think I never heard of it so far as I am concerned until this second strike was started."
- 5 To equip (something) with plumbing. informal, rare, transitive
"How many times should a bathroom be “plumbered”? IT should be “plumbered” once more if it is an old bathroom of the tin-tub, iron-pipe era. Call in your plumber and have him rip out the old, unsanitary fixtures and the rusting iron or steel pipe and put in modern fixtures connected with good brass pipe that cannot rust. If you are building a new house it should be “plumbered” just once."
Antonyms
Example
"Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plumber"?
Common synonyms include: builder, craftsman, flusher, handyman, leadworker, metalworker.
How do you use "plumber" in a sentence?
Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends.
How do you pronounce "plumber"?
Pronounced /ˈplʌm.ɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle English plumber, from Old French plummier (French plombier); from Latin plumbārius, from plumbum (“lead or lead shot”). The verb sense “to botch” is perhaps from the negative stereotype of the occupation.