man

1 of 4

noun

ˈman How to pronounce man (audio)
 in compounds  ˌman,
 or  mən
plural men ˈmen How to pronounce man (audio)
 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 ManAmer. Speech
8
often capitalized : the white establishment : white society
We should control anything that affects black people. Why should The Man control us?Jimmy Denham
9
: one extremely fond of or devoted to something specified
strictly a vanilla ice cream man
manless adjective
manlike adjective

man

2 of 4

verb

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

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
Noun
Derek Myers – a man whose ties to former New York Rep. George Santos made headlines last year – has been either a plaintiff or a defendant in multiple civil and criminal cases covering a bevy of issues and allegations. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024 One thing about John Cena, that man is always game. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024 For the first time, Abu Hassan was surrounded by young men who spoke of order and responsibility. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The detective put on the case, a man called Nealon, ducks in and out, leaving only the barest of impressions. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Now in its last month of operation, Bauer’s the lone worker remaining, acting as the store’s delivery man, salesman and other tasks that arise. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 The biopic is based on A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive by Richard Montañez, a man who claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 In October 2023, a New Jersey man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for operating a drug courier service that distributed drugs for over seven years. USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 The Canadian man experienced mild hypothermia and was transported to a local hospital, per the reports. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
The establishment’s chef, Evan Funke, was manning a pizza oven on the outdoor patio to offer guests pieces of pie. Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 And like Skiba — who was first hired to briefly fill in for DeLonge — Willard has manned the kit for other acts in a pinch. Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2024 Cizikas, Clutterbuck and Martin have manned the fourth line — dubbed the identity line, in no small reason because its grinding, pesky nature is particularly appreciated by Long Islanders — for the last six seasons. Jerry Beach, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Or rather, a woman’s game: the making of sandwiches and doling out of sausage rolls was entirely manned by women, often the wife of the butcher proprietor. Olivia Potts, Longreads, 15 Feb. 2024 At Fort Leavenworth, Buffalo Soldiers manned the 9th and 10th Cavalries. Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The museum was located on an unmarked dirt road and manned by a local caretaker who allowed entry to visitors who were able to reach him by phone, per Smithsonian. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 According to a press release sent out by the Coast Guard, the ship, manned by Noel Rubio, 60, arrived in Hawaii on Saturday. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The robot, manned by researchers, captured a video of the dumbo octopus swimming near an underwater mountain off the coast of Chile, according to a Feb. 15 Facebook post from the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'man.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near man

Cite this Entry

“Man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

man

1 of 2 noun
plural men ˈmen How to pronounce man (audio)
1
a
: a human being
especially : an adult male human
b
: the human race : humankind
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
Etymology

Noun

Old English man "person, male person"

Medical Definition

man

noun
plural men ˈmen How to pronounce man (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on man

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