swagman
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A middleman who buys and sells stolen goods; a fence.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
He is, in the street talk, a swagman, one of perhaps hundreds of hustlers in the city who distribute an estimated $5-million worth of goods ripped off each year at New York's airports, waterfronts, factories and truck parts. [...] According to Tommy, the mob uses swagmen like himself as down-the-lin
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “swagman” mean?
A middleman who buys and sells stolen goods; a fence.
Is “swagman” formal or informal?
swagman is generally slang.