farmhand

noun

farm·​hand ˈfärm-ˌhand How to pronounce farmhand (audio)
1
: a farm laborer
especially : a hired laborer on a farm
2
: a player on a farm team

Examples of farmhand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sarah died young, leaving him in the warm care of Mrs. Wilson (Michelle Fairley), a financially comfortable widow who took them both in, and her farmhand Ned (Mark McKenna), who’s both a stepfather figure and a friend. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 Consider the dangers faced by rural workers, especially the most vulnerable ones, such as farmhands and smallholders, who have limited resources and knowledge to protect themselves from the adverse effects of both mistaken policies regarding pesticides and lies about vaccines. Heslley MacHado Silva, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2024 In 1822, Mason leased his mansion, land, servants and farmhands to landscape architect and horticulturist Richard Southern, who cultivated the soil for farming, including the propagation of tomatoes. Sue Eisenfeld, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 Most residents are farmhands and dairy workers, so their fate hinges on which agricultural properties stay dry and when cultivation can resume in areas that flooded. Brennon Dixson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023 The dark horse is also an enduring symbol in the history of painting, from Picasso to Bill Traylor, a sharecropper and farmhand born into slavery in Alabama who taught himself to paint at age 85 and for whom horses represented both freedom and exploitation. Emily Lordi, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023 The Post tried to contact for this story — family, neighbors, farmhands, state and federal inspectors — few agreed to be interviewed. Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2023 This left farmers without incomes, farmhands without jobs and little money circulating in the local economy. – Brian Broom Diner workers survived by sheltering in refrigerator The owners and employees at a Rolling Fork diner survived by sheltering together in the restaurant's walk-in refrigerator. Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2023 The injured farmhand and other workers later sued Holly in federal court, according to court records and the attorneys for the plaintiffs, accusing him of breaking labor laws by exploiting vulnerable workers and not paying them. Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'farmhand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farmhand was in 1794

Dictionary Entries Near farmhand

Cite this Entry

“Farmhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farmhand. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

farmhand

noun
farm·​hand ˈfärm-ˌhand How to pronounce farmhand (audio)
: a farm laborer

More from Merriam-Webster on farmhand

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