man-of-war

[ man-uhv-wawr ]

noun

, plural men-of-war.

1. a warship.
2. Portuguese man-of-war.

man-of-war

noun

1. a warship
2. See Portuguese man-of-war

Word History and Origins

Origin of man-of-war¹

1400–50 in sense “soldier”; late Middle English

Example Sentences

This keeps them close to their prey, including the famously venomous Portuguese man-of-war.

From National Geographic

A man-of-war could destroy a city within hours.

From Literature

By-the-wind-sailors are related to jellyfish and the Portuguese man-of-war, which can produce a painful sting, but their tentacles are mostly harmless, Pernet said.

From Los Angeles Times

Q: Years ago, my 3-year-old tripped and fell on a Portuguese man-of-war while we were at the beach.

From Seattle Times

A news story of the day claimed that on the way to Nassau, Bonnet was involved in a fight with a Spanish man-of-war and his ship was damaged and Bonnet seriously wounded.

From Salon