Straphanger
noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who travels using public transportation (often standing up and holding on to a strap).
"For several days, Mr. Sammler returning on the customary bus late afternoons from the Forty-second Street Library had been watching a pickpocket at work […] Mr. Sammler if he had not been a tall straphanger would not with his one good eye have seen these things happening."
- 2 a standing subway or bus passenger who grips a hanging strap for support wordnet
- 3 a commuter who uses public transportation wordnet
Example
More examples"For several days, Mr. Sammler returning on the customary bus late afternoons from the Forty-second Street Library had been watching a pickpocket at work […] Mr. Sammler if he had not been a tall straphanger would not with his one good eye have seen these things happening."
Etymology
From strap + hanger.
More for "straphanger"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.