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Synonyms

mac

1 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

  1. fellow; bud (a familiar term of address to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).

mac 2 American  
[mak] / mæk /
Or mack

noun

Informal.

  1. a mackintosh.

  2. McIntosh.

mac 3 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

  1. macaroni.

  2. macaroni and cheese.

Mac 4 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

  1. a male given name.

Mac. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Maccabees.

M.Ac. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Master of Accountancy.

Mac- 7 American  
Also Mc-,

  1. a prefix found in many family names of Irish or Scottish Gaelic origin, as MacBride and Macdonald.

Mac 1 British  
/ mæk /

noun

  1. an informal term of address to a man

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
MAC 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. multiplexed analogue component: a transmission coding system for colour television using satellite broadcasting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mac. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Maccabees (books of the Apocrypha)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mac- 4 British  

prefix

  1. (in surnames of Scottish or Irish Gaelic origin) son of

    MacDonald

    MacNeice
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mac 5 British  
/ mæk /

noun

  1. informal short for mackintosh mackintosh

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mac1

First recorded in 1650–60; special use of Mac

Origin of mac2

Shortened form

Origin of mac3

Shortened form

Origin of Mac-7

< Irish, Scots Gaelic mac son, Old Irish macc; akin to Welsh, Cornish mab

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I think the first time I went, they had a really good oxtail mac and cheese.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

I once ordered it at a chain restaurant that shall remain diplomatically unnamed, only to discover that it was functionally identical to the toddler’s mac and cheese at our table.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Pulled smoked chicken + frozen mac and cheese + cabbage slaw.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

Just make the mac and cheese for dinner.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

We don’t speak for the rest of the meal, which isn’t much longer, since I’m just picking at my mac and cheese now and she seems to have lost interest in her kale salad.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

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.