man

1 of 4

noun

ˈman

in compounds ˌman,

or mən

plural men ˈmen

in compounds ˌmen,

or mən

Synonyms of man next

a(1)

: an individual human

especially : an adult male human

(2)

: a man belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation)

—usually used in combination

councilman

(3)

: husband

I now pronounce you man and wife.

(4)

: lover

He was her man.

: the human race : humankind

the history of man

: a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) that is anatomically related to the great apes but distinguished especially by notable development of the brain with a resultant capacity for articulate (see articulate entry 1 sense 1a) speech and abstract reasoning, and is the sole living representative of the hominid family

broadly : any living or extinct hominid

d(1)

: one possessing in high degree the qualities considered distinctive of manhood (such as courage, strength, and vigor)

(2)

obsolete : the quality or state of being manly : manliness

: fellow, chap

—used as mode of familiar address

—used interjectionally to express intensity of feeling

man, what a game

: individual, person

a man could get killed there

: the individual who can fulfill or who has been chosen to fulfill one's requirements

she's your man

: a feudal tenant : vassal

: an adult male servant

men plural : the working force as distinguished from the employer and usually the management

The men have been on strike for several weeks.

: one of the distinctive objects moved by each player in various board games

: one of the players on a team

nine men on each side

: an alumnus of or student at a college or university

a Bowdoin man

Christian Science : the compound idea of infinite Spirit : the spiritual image and likeness of God : the full representation of Mind

often capitalized : police

when I heard the siren, I knew it was the Man—

Amer. Speech

often capitalized : the white establishment : white society

We should control anything that affects black people. Why should The Man control us?—

Jimmy Denham

: one extremely fond of or devoted to something specified

strictly a vanilla ice cream man

manless

ˈman-ləs

adjective

manlike

ˈman-ˌlīk

adjective

man

2 of 4

verb

manned; manning

transitive verb

: to supply with people (as for service)

man a fleet

: to station members of a ship's crew at

man the capstan

: to serve in the force or complement of

man the ticket booth

: to accustom (a bird, such as a hawk) to humans and the human environment

: to furnish with strength or powers of resistance : brace

My hair bristled and my knees shook. I manned myself, however, and determined to return to my quarters.—

Sir Walter Scott

man

3 of 4

abbreviation (1)

manual

Man

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

Manitoba

Phrases

as one man

: with the agreement and consent of all : unanimously

The council voted as one man.

one's own man

: free from interference or control

He left home and moved to the city to become his own man.

to a man

: without exception

His friends, to a man, supported him.

Examples of man in a Sentence

Noun He was a shy boy, but he grew to be a strong and confident man. He's a grown man now. The movie is popular with men and women. Are you man enough to meet the challenge? Verb He stocked shelves while I manned the cash register. We'll need someone to man the phones this evening. No one was manning the front desk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Originally Published: December 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM EST Most Popular Most Popular Grand jury indicts Orlando man with defrauding donors of money meant for Trump, DeSantis, other campaigns A homeless man got five years in prison for a $30 drug delivery. —

Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024 Statistic of the week: One less There's one less white supremacist working at JP Morgan Chase after the Texas Observer revealed that a man working for the company was also running one of the most influential neo-Nazi accounts on X. —

Will Carless, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

Verb

Or any number of other stars who’ve been diligently manning phone banks for the Kamala Harris campaign the past several weeks. —

Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024 Right now, it’s manned by Renato 'Tato' Giovannoni, who has been recognized as one of the world’s top bartenders. —

Elise Taylor, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for man

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English man, mon human being, male human; akin to Old High German man human being, Sanskrit manu

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of man was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing man

Cite this Entry

Style

“Man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

man

1 of 2 noun

ˈman

plural men ˈmen

: a human being

especially : an adult male human

: the human race : humankind

: husband entry 1, lover

: a primate mammal that walks on two legs and is the only living member of the hominid family

also : any living or extinct hominid

—used as an interjection to express strong feeling

man, what a game

: fellow

—used as a mode of familiar address

: a tenant in the Middle Ages : vassal

: an adult male servant

plural : workers as a group

: individual entry 2 sense 2, person

a man could be killed there

: a person who can or is chosen to fulfill one's requirements

she's your man

: one of the pieces in a game (as chess)

man

2 of 2 verb

manned; manning

: to supply with people (as for service)

man a ship

: to station members of a ship's crew at

man the ropes

: to serve in the force of

man the ticket counter

Etymology

Noun

Old English man "person, male person"

Medical Definition

man

noun

ˈman

plural men ˈmen

: a bipedal primate mammal of the genus Homo (H. sapiens) that is anatomically related to the great apes (family Pongidae) but is distinguished by greater development of the brain with resulting capacity for articulate speech and abstract reasoning, by marked erectness of body carriage with corresponding alteration of muscular balance and loss of prehensile powers of the foot, and by shortening of the arm with accompanying increase in thumb size and ability to place the thumb next to each of the fingers, that is usually considered to occur in a variable number of freely interbreeding races, and that is the sole living representative of the family Hominidae

broadly : any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae

Last Updated: 17 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences

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man

noun

verb

abbreviation (1)

abbreviation (2)

Synonyms

Examples of man in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near man

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition