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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
Usage
Gender Note
Derived Forms
- ˈmanless, adjective
Other Words From
- man·less adjective
- man·less·ly adverb
- man·less·ness noun
- man·ness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of man1
Word History and Origins
Origin of man1
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
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
In the first episode, an officer is shown video of himself shooting and killing a man.
That man was Xavier Cortada, a gay man who wrote of his frustration that he and his partner of eight years were unable to marry.
It is the summit of human happiness: the surrender of man to God, of woman to man, of several women to the same man.
But no more so than the Sodexo building maintenance man or the two cops who were also killed in the crossfire.
He looks like a man who should have had kids, but now never will.
Davy looked around and saw an old man coming toward them across the lawn.
The supernaturalist alleges that religion was revealed to man by God, and that the form of this revelation is a sacred book.
The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.
He remembered something—the cherished pose of being a man plunged fathoms-deep in business.
On the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house.
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What Is The Plural Of Man?
Plural word for man
The plural form of the noun man is men.
This is one of the few remaining irregular plurals that derive directly from their original pluralization in Old English. A similar change is made when pluralizing woman as women, child as children, and ox as oxen.
While it ends in -man, the plural form of human is not humen but rather humans.
Words That Use -man
What does -man mean?
The combining form -man is used like a suffix meaning “man,” most often to indicate a man who performs a particular job or function. It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.
The form -man comes from Old English mann, which could refer to both an adult male and a human being in general.
What are variants of -man?
The plural form of -man is -men, as in firemen. The female equivalent of -man is -woman, as in saleswoman. However, use of this kind of gendered language for professions has decreased in recent years, with gender-neutral terms often being preferred. Namely, the ending -person is often used, as in salesperson. Some terms are changed altogether, such as mail carrier being used instead of mailman. Still, some people may prefer to use the gender-specific version of a term that applies to them—a mailman may prefer to call himself a mailman and congresswoman may prefer to call herself a congresswoman, for example.
For more guidance, check out the Thesaurus.com guide to gender-neutral language.
Examples of -man
The form -man is used in many different words and is especially associated with professions that have traditionally been held mostly by men. But the -man ending in all of these words can also be replaced with -woman. Some of the most common examples now have commonly used gender-neutral equivalents, including congressman (congressperson or representative), fireman (firefighter), and policeman (police officer).
What are some words that use the combining form -man?
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.
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