man
1 of 4noun
ˈman 
in compounds ˌman,
or mən
plural men ˈmen
in compounds ˌmen,
or mən
1
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.
b
: the human race : humankind
the history of man
c
: 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
e
: fellow, chap —used as mode of familiar address
f
—used interjectionally to express intensity of feeling
man, what a game
2
a
: individual, person
a man could get killed there
b
: the individual who can fulfill or who has been chosen to fulfill one's requirements
she's your man
3
a
: a feudal tenant : vassal
b
: an adult male servant
c
men plural : the working force as distinguished from the employer and usually the management
The men have been on strike for several weeks.
4
a
: one of the distinctive objects moved by each player in various board games
b
: one of the players on a team
nine men on each side
5
: an alumnus of or student at a college or university
a Bowdoin man
6
Christian Science : the compound idea of infinite Spirit : the spiritual image and likeness of God : the full representation of Mind
7
often capitalized : police
when I heard the siren, I knew it was the Man—
Amer. Speech
Amer. Speech8
often capitalized : the white establishment : white society
We should control anything that affects black people. Why should The Man control us?—Jimmy Denham
Jimmy Denham9
: 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 4verb
manned; manning
transitive verb
1
a
: to supply with people (as for service)
man a fleet
b
: to station members of a ship's crew at
man the capstan
c
: to serve in the force or complement of
man the ticket booth
2
: to accustom (a bird, such as a hawk) to humans and the human environment
3
: 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
Sir Walter Scottman
3 of 4abbreviation (1)
manual
Man
4 of 4abbreviation (2)
Manitoba
Synonyms
Noun
- bastard
- bloke [chiefly British]
- buck
- cat
- chap [chiefly British]
- chappie [British]
- dude
- fella
- fellow
- galoot [slang]
- gent
- gentleman
- guy
- hombre
- jack
- joe
- joker
- lad
- male
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the WebDeanese Williams-harris, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2023 This was a man absorbed into the community with ease. —Zak Garner-purkis, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 The producer also says that in the end, the film is about one fictional man’s specific experience. —Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2023 Perhaps Biden may still be the right man for the job. —Patrick T. Brown, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023 And Bette always wanted to be the man and had this aura of being very masculine and dominant. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2023 Human remains found Saturday in a wooded area in Westfield has been determined to be a man who has been missing since 2019, State Police announced Wednesday in a statement. —Claire Law, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023 And being a grateful man takes on a whole new meaning ... —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023 Despite falling short to Western 84-76 in double overtime, Butler junior Dayton Williams was a man on a mission Friday night. —J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2023 Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 19 Jan. 2023 If the person agrees, the scam artist convinces them to mail a cashier's check, man an electronic funds transfer or arranges a meeting to get the money in cash, according to the Michigan Lottery. —Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2022 Armed patrols man the streets, where unkempt survivors take jobs burning the dead and cleaning up waste to scrape by. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2023 After La’el Collins went down with a left knee injury, the Bengals turned to Hakeem Adeniji to man their right tackle spot. —Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 29 Dec. 2022 Martí volunteered to man it, enduring the scorching heat of Granada in the worse summer month of the year, August. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 More than 15 organizations and businesses man the donation booth at the end of the trail. —Suzi Parker, Arkansas Online, 6 Dec. 2022 Of course, Aaron Judge would be a nice fit in right or left even if his preference is center, and Mike Yastrzemski theoretically would man the other corner. —John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Dec. 2022 Soldiers man the military checkpoint before it, their eyes searching cars that pass by. —Linda Kinstler, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2022 See More
Noun
Killed was a 21-year-old still-unidentified man who died of a stab wound to the chest, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. —Deanese Williams-harris, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2023 This was a man absorbed into the community with ease. —Zak Garner-purkis, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 The producer also says that in the end, the film is about one fictional man’s specific experience. —Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2023 Perhaps Biden may still be the right man for the job. —Patrick T. Brown, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023 And Bette always wanted to be the man and had this aura of being very masculine and dominant. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2023 Human remains found Saturday in a wooded area in Westfield has been determined to be a man who has been missing since 2019, State Police announced Wednesday in a statement. —Claire Law, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023 And being a grateful man takes on a whole new meaning ... —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023 Despite falling short to Western 84-76 in double overtime, Butler junior Dayton Williams was a man on a mission Friday night. —J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2023 Verb
Notes: McKinstry should man one starting spot; the question is who starts at the other one. —Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 19 Jan. 2023 If the person agrees, the scam artist convinces them to mail a cashier's check, man an electronic funds transfer or arranges a meeting to get the money in cash, according to the Michigan Lottery. —Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2022 Armed patrols man the streets, where unkempt survivors take jobs burning the dead and cleaning up waste to scrape by. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2023 After La’el Collins went down with a left knee injury, the Bengals turned to Hakeem Adeniji to man their right tackle spot. —Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 29 Dec. 2022 Martí volunteered to man it, enduring the scorching heat of Granada in the worse summer month of the year, August. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 More than 15 organizations and businesses man the donation booth at the end of the trail. —Suzi Parker, Arkansas Online, 6 Dec. 2022 Of course, Aaron Judge would be a nice fit in right or left even if his preference is center, and Mike Yastrzemski theoretically would man the other corner. —John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Dec. 2022 Soldiers man the military checkpoint before it, their eyes searching cars that pass by. —Linda Kinstler, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2022 See More 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
Phrases Containing man
Kids Definition
man
1 of 2 noun ˈman
plural men ˈmen
1
a
: a human being
especially : an adult male human
b
: the human race : humankind
c
: husband entry 1, lover
d
: a primate mammal that walks on two legs and is the only living member of the hominid family
also : any living or extinct hominid
e
—used as an interjection to express strong feeling
man, what a game
f
: fellow —used as a mode of familiar address
2
a
: a tenant in the Middle Ages : vassal
b
: an adult male servant
c
plural : workers as a group
3
a
: individual entry 2 sense 2, person
a man could be killed there
b
: a person who can or is chosen to fulfill one's requirements
she's your man
4
: one of the pieces in a game (as chess)
man
2 of 2 verb manned; manning
1
: to supply with people (as for service)
man a ship
2
: to station members of a ship's crew at
man the ropes
3
: to serve in the force of
man the ticket counter
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
manlike
adjective
1
as in male
of, relating to, or marked by qualities traditionally associated with men hoisted the duffel bag and heaved it over the railing with a humorous, manlike grunt Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- male
- manly
- virile
- masculine
- man-sized
- mannish
- man-size
- macho
- butch
- hypermasculine
- boyish
- tomboyish
- hoydenish
- hairy-chested
- ultramasculine
- Amazonian
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unmanly
- unmasculine
- feminine
- effeminate
- womanly
- girlish
- womanish
- sissy
- womanlike
- impotent
- metrosexual
- androgynous
- emasculated
- unmacho
- sissified
- weakened
- neuter
2
as in masculine
having qualities or traits that are traditionally considered inappropriate for a girl or woman all the little girls at the lunch table laughed uproariously when one of them emitted a manlike belch Synonyms & Similar Words
- masculine
- unwomanly
- unfeminine
- manly
- male
- unladylike
- mannish
- tomboyish
- hoydenish
- gentlemanly
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- feminine
- womanly
- female
- effeminate
- unmanly
- girlish
- unmasculine
- womanish
- sissy
- womanlike
- ladylike
- sissified
- petticoat
- distaff