1. a member of a Chinese secret society or criminal organization
Usage: historical

Examples

• The police investigated the activities of several tongmen in the neighborhood.
• Historical records show that tongmen operated in many American Chinatowns.
• The detective studied the rivalry between different tong groups and their tongmen.
• Immigration officials were concerned about tongman influence in the community.
• The newspaper reported on conflicts between rival tongmen in the 1920s.