Advertisement
Advertisement
man
1[ man ]
noun
- an adult male person. Compare woman ( def 1 ), boy ( def 1 ).
- a member of the species Homo sapiens or all the members of this species collectively, without regard to gender:
The gravesite gives us valuable information about the burial practices of prehistoric man.
- the human individual as representing the species, without reference to gender; the human race; humankind:
Man hopes for peace, but prepares for war.
- a human being; person:
to give a man a chance;
When the audience smelled the smoke, it was every man for himself.
- a husband:
I now pronounce you man and wife.
- a male lover or sweetheart.
- a male follower or subordinate:
the king's men;
He's the boss's number one man.
- a male employee or representative, especially of a company or agency:
a Secret Service man;
a man from the utility company.
- a male having qualities considered typical of men or appropriately masculine:
Be a man.
The army will make a man of you.
- a male servant.
- a valet:
He asked his man to prepare a valise for the weekend.
- an enthusiast or devotee:
I like jazz, but I'm essentially a classics man.
- Slang. a male friend or ally:
You're my main man.
- a term of familiar address to a man; fellow:
Now, now, my good man, please calm down.
- Slang. a term of familiar address to a man or a woman:
Hey, man, how's it going?
- one of the figures, disks, etc., used in playing certain games, as chess or checkers:
You can move your men each turn diagonally forward, to the left or to the right.
- none the man or the Man, Slang.
- a person or group asserting authority or power over another, especially in a manner experienced as being oppressive, demeaning, or threatening, as the government, an employer, or the police.
- a privileged racial group, especially when exerting a dominating social, cultural, or economic influence.
- Sometimes da man. a person of impressive accomplishment; one who excels.
- a drug dealer.
- Obsolete. manly character or courage.
- History/Historical. a liegeman; vassal.
verb (used with object)
- to furnish with people, as for service or defense:
No matter how complicated war might be, it always comes down to the ones who fly the planes, man the ships, and carry the rifles.
- to take one's place at, as for service: to man the phones.
to man the ramparts;
to man the phones.
- to strengthen, fortify, or brace; steel:
They took a moment to man themselves for the dangers ahead.
- Falconry. to accustom (a hawk) to the presence of people.
interjection
- Slang. an expression of surprise, enthusiasm, dismay, or other strong feeling:
Man, what a ball game!
verb phrase
- Informal. to act in a typically masculine way, as in taking responsibility or making tough decisions:
He should man up and meet the challenge.
Man
2[ man ]
noun
- Isle of, an island of the British Isles, in the Irish Sea. 227 sq. mi. (588 sq. km). : Douglas.
-man
3- a combining form of man:
layman; postman.
man.
4abbreviation for
- manual.
Man.
5abbreviation for
- Manila.
- Manitoba.
Man
1/ mæn /
noun
- slang:Black.a White man or White men collectively, esp when in authority, in the police, or held in contempt
- slang.a drug peddler
-man
2combining form
- indicating a person who has a role, works in a place, or operates equipment as specified
cameraman
salesman
barman
Man
3/ mæn /
noun
- Isle of Manan island in the British Isles, in the Irish Sea between Cumbria and Northern Ireland: a UK Crown Dependency (but not part of the United Kingdom), with its own ancient parliament, the Court of Tynwald; a dependency of Norway until 1266, when for a time it came under Scottish rule; its own language, Manx, became extinct in the 19th century but has been revived to some extent. Capital: Douglas. Pop: 86 159 (2013 est). Area: 588 sq km (227 sq miles)
man
4/ mæn /
noun
- an adult male human being, as distinguished from a woman
- modifier male; masculine
a man child
- archaic.a human being regardless of sex or age, considered as a representative of mankind; a person
- sometimes capital human beings collectively; mankind
the development of man
- Also calledmodern man
- a member of any of the living races of Homo sapiens, characterized by erect bipedal posture, a highly developed brain, and powers of articulate speech, abstract reasoning, and imagination
- any extinct member of the species Homo sapiens, such as Cro-Magnon man
- a member of any of the extinct species of the genus Homo, such as Java man, Heidelberg man, and Solo man
- an adult male human being with qualities associated with the male, such as courage or virility
be a man
- manly qualities or virtues
the man in him was outraged
- a subordinate, servant, or employee contrasted with an employer or manager
- ( in combination )
the number of man-days required to complete a job
- usually plural a member of the armed forces who does not hold commissioned, warrant, or noncommissioned rank (as in the phrase officers and men )
- a member of a group, team, etc
- a husband, boyfriend, etc
man and wife
- an expression used parenthetically to indicate an informal relationship between speaker and hearer
- a movable piece in various games, such as draughts
- slang.any person: used as a term of address
- a vassal of a feudal lord
- as one manwith unanimous action or response
- be one's own manto be independent or free
- he's your manhe's the person needed (for a particular task, role, job, etc)
- man and boyfrom childhood
- sort out the men from the boys or separate the men from the boysto separate the experienced from the inexperienced
- to a man
- unanimously
- without exception
they were slaughtered to a man
interjection
- informal.an exclamation or expletive, often indicating surprise or pleasure
verb
- to provide with sufficient people for operation, defence, etc
to man the phones
- to take one's place at or near in readiness for action
- falconry to induce (a hawk or falcon) to endure the presence of and handling by man, esp strangers
Discover More
Usage
Discover More
Gender Note
Discover More
Derived Forms
- ˈmanless, adjective
Discover More
Other Words From
- man·less adjective
- man·less·ly adverb
- man·less·ness noun
- man·ness noun
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of man1
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of man1
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
- as one man, in complete agreement or accord; unanimously:
They arose as one man to protest the verdict.
- be one's own man,
- to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence; be independent:
Now that he has a business he is his own man.
- to be in complete command of one's faculties:
After a refreshing nap he was again his own man.
- man and boy, ever since childhood:
He's been working that farm, man and boy, for more than 50 years.
- man's man, a man who exemplifies masculine qualities.
To a man, the members of the team did their best.
More idioms and phrases containing man
- as one (man)
- company man
- dead soldier (man)
- dirty joke (old man)
- every man for himself
- every man has his price
- girl (man) Friday
- hatchet man
- hired hand (man)
- ladies' man
- low man on the totem pole
- marked man
- new person (man)
- no man is an island
- odd man out
- (man) of few words
- one man's meat is another man's poison
- own man
- right-hand man
- see a man about a dog
- to a man
- men
Discover More
Synonym Study
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse