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Definition of "roustabout" [roust•a•bout]

  • A laborer employed for temporary or unskilled jobs, as in an oil field. (noun)
  • A circus laborer. (noun)
  • A deck or wharf laborer, especially on the Mississippi River. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "roustabout" in a sentence
  • "ROMANS: Look at the worst jobs, roustabout, which is for a worst job, it has the best name."
  • "A roustabout is a dangerous job that typically pays about US$31,000 a year, with high unemployment and a negative outlook for growth, the study said."
  • "NEW YORK -- Being an actuary, calculating statistics to determine probability and risk, is the best job to have in 2010, while working on an oil rig as a roustabout is the worst, according to a study released on Tuesday."