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Though movie and cinema buffs associate gaffer with Hollywood, the word actually pre-dates motion pictures by about 300 years. The first recorded use of gaffer dates from the 16th century, when it was used as a title of respect for an older gentleman. Later it was used as a generic noun for any elderly man, and then it picked up the sense "foreman" (still used in British English), perhaps because the foreman was the most experienced and, most likely, the oldest person in a work crew. Today gaffer is usually applied to the head lighting electrician on a movie set. The gaffer's assistant is called the best boy.
Examples of gaffer in a Sentence
Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
But productions have been slow to resume in the L.A. area, meaning that people all up and down the entertainment industry—from actors to editors to gaffers to production assistants—have less discretionary income.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
Affected residents include Hollywood prop masters, dolly grip operators, and gaffers.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
One lady was a stage manager, another read lines with actors, someone else was a gaffer.
—Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffer
Cite this Entry
“Gaffer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaffer. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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