man-of-war

variants also man-o'-war

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of man-of-war Nassau had no men-of-war ships, and Trott’s stone fort was still a building site. Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 My hundred-and-forty-foot man-of-war sought to make the first mission to the South Pole, a feat that would bring pride to England. Mike O’Brien, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023 Its lyrics, about a sailor bidding goodbye to his lover before boarding a man-of-war bound for England, were written not by Mr. Whittaker but by a British silversmith who responded to a radio contest in which Mr. Whittaker invited listeners to send in verses, with the best put to music. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 Just as airpower eventually killed off the great men-of-war that had ruled the waves for millennia, so cyberweapons might strip other weapons or tactics of their utility. Kenneth M. Pollack, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022 The average man-of-war was estimated by a leading shipwright to last only fourteen years. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 In May, the old East Indiaman finally emerged from the Deptford Dockyard as a man-of-war. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for man-of-war
Noun
  • The researchers stipulate that the steamer basket of eggs must be dunked into the boiling water for two minutes, then into the lukewarm water for two minutes—a switch that’s to be repeated eight total times before you’re cleared to run them under cold water and peel off the shells.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025
  • To steam: Line steamer basket with steamer paper and place prepared dumplings in a single layer in the basket, with 1 inch between each.
    Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • As recently as the 1990s, the United Nations embargo on Iraq relied on warships patrolling the Persian Gulf.
    Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The prohibition against women serving on warships ended in 1993, opening the door for officers like Admiral Franchetti to compete equally with their male counterparts.
    John Ismay, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • These preyed upon American merchantmen who either payed tribute or showed forged British passes.
    Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2019
  • The Navy already has ships in the fleet that are former merchantmen.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 10 Jan. 2019
Noun
  • Infected rats likely brought the disease from steamships to the shore.
    Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Fitzcarraldo Year: 1982 Runtime: 2h 37m Director: Werner Herzog Werner Herzog set out to make a movie about a man who was insane enough to try and move a steamship over land from one river to another and Herzog himself was insane enough to actually try and replicate it.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Last winter, after a Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk crashed into the bay, the helicopter was lifted from 15 feet of water and stabilized on a barge.
    Kristina Davis, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
  • The top to-do item for Blue Origin is flying New Glenn again—and recovering the giant rocket's first stage by landing it on an autonomous landing barge (named Jacklyn for Bezos' mother).
    Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The thick ice even temporarily stranded a Canadian cargo freighter.
    Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
  • To counter this, construction magnate turned shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser proposed to the US government the building of a new class of seaplane bigger than anything previously conceived that would essentially be an airborne freighter.
    David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The measures quickly disrupted the flow of sanctioned Russian oil to China and India, with millions of barrels now left floating on tankers as few want to risk American enforcement actions.
    Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
  • The vessels in question are not modern, but rather are primarily aging fuel tankers.
    Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Maritime Museum of San Diego seeks volunteers The nonprofit Maritime Museum of San Diego starts the next Docent Volunteer Training Program for newcomers Jan. 21 at the museum on the upper deck of the ferryboat Berkeley.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
  • For example, when over 1,000 people died in a ferryboat accident in the Red Sea in 2006, critics accused the military of failing to deploy quickly enough to rescue them.
    Jeff Martini, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2011

Browse Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on man-of-war

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!