field hand

noun

: an outdoor farm laborer

Examples of field hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Most of the enslaved people were field hands, but some were masons, house-hold servants and carpenters. Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 13 Oct. 2024 Born on the old Armant plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, where his mother and father cut sugar cane as field hands, Nailor walked to a segregated school while white students like Weber whizzed past on buses. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 While still a young girl, Tubman was taken away from her mother and forced to work as a maid, a nanny, a trapper, and a field hand. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024 Criminals prey on avocado orchard owners, field hands and drivers who transport avocados for export, among other targets. Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for field hand 

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of field hand was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near field hand

Cite this Entry

“Field hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/field%20hand. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on field hand

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!