man

play

noun \ ˈman , in compounds ˌman or mən \

Definition of man

plural men play \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 ¹articulate 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

8 often capitalized :the white establishment :white society

surprise that any black … should take on so about The Man
—Peter Goldman

9 :one extremely fond of or devoted to something specified

strictly a vanilla ice cream man

—

manless

play \ˈman-ləs\ adjective

—

manlike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— 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.

See man defined for English-language learners

See man defined for kids

Examples of man in a Sentence

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?

Recent Examples of man from the Web

The next time a young man tried to break away from the group’s grip, Mohammed risked it all to save him, and helped him escape.

— Washington Post, "They escaped Islamic State’s bastion, but remain terrified," 20 July 2017
And while black men and white women were experiencing incredible difficulty attempting to access predominantly white institutions of higher learning, black women experienced an even tougher battle for most of the 20th century.

— lincoln anthony blades, Teen Vogue, "Colleges and Universities are Becoming Less White, and Republicans Like Them Less," 20 July 2017
Men who do not fear a multicolored squiggle or a polka-dot pattern, rejoice.

— dayna evans, The Cut, "The Happiest Clothing Line on Earth Is Finally Doing Menswear," 20 July 2017
An Associated Press investigation into the seafood industry revealed that hundreds of men are confined to Hawaii boats that operate due to a federal loophole that exempts the foreign fishermen from most basic labor protections.

— caleb jones, The Seattle Times, "APNewsBreak: Human rights petition sent for Hawaii fishermen," 19 July 2017
A 67-year-old man called police around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday to report his gray 1999 Toyota Camry stolen, according to Lt.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Hammond police urge caution after two armed robberies, vehicles stolen," 19 July 2017
Australia marks a key recruiting territory for TCU, with two men’s players from that country on next season’s roster: forward Kouat Noi, a redshirt freshman, and forward Lat Mayen, an incoming freshmen.

— jimmy burch, star-telegram, "TCU’s Fisher back from injury, ready to shine in Australia," 19 July 2017
Court records show that the man had a lengthy criminal history including convictions for drugs, firearms violations, and resisting arrest.

— stephanie farr, Philly.com, "Man who killed ex, shot at police was released from prison in June," 19 July 2017
Police believe he may be accompanied by a 45- to 48-year-old man.

— ariana figueroa, chicagotribune.com, "Teen boy, 15, missing from Northwest Side," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'man.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of man

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

man Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

master, mister, sir; buddy, buster

Near Antonyms

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

man

verb

Definition of man

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

See man defined for English-language learners

Examples of man in a Sentence

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 of man from the Web

Over the weekend, Iloff said a handful of maintenance staff manning the building were instructed to help people looking for shelter.

— stephanie kuzydym, chicagotribune.com, "Joel Osteen pushes back against accusations he closed his megachurch to Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
Over the weekend, Iloff said a handful of maintenance staff manning the building were instructed to help people looking for shelter.

— kristine phillips, Washington Post, "‘We were never closed’: Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch disputes claims it shut its doors," 29 Aug. 2017
Prince Philip likes to spend his time manning the grill.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Inside the Royals' Favorite Scottish Getaway, Balmoral Castle," 24 Aug. 2017
Hannah Nigrin stepped up to the telescope manned by Harford County Astronomical Society president Rick Fensch, excited to see her first-ever solar eclipse.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Excited Harford County residents gather to view Monday's solar eclipse," 22 Aug. 2017
Plus, versatile freshman PJ Washington could prove himself capable of manning as many as three positions, including center.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Will Sacha Killeya-Jones emerge as a primary contributor for Kentucky?," 21 Aug. 2017
With the Healy’s 80 crewmen manning the rails in homage, Ardmore’s team unfurled a Coast Guard flag and left an underwater plaque to commemorate the Aug. 17, 2006 deaths of fellow divers Lt.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Coast Guard icebreaker patrols the North Pole, solving mysteries and paying homage to the dead," 21 Aug. 2017
Mike Brown, who manages the store and mans the cash register, was also reluctant to talk about the deadly clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters that’d just roiled his family’s home town.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Black Charlottesville has Seen This All Before," 18 Aug. 2017
Cabrera had spent nearly three full seasons here, manning a corner spot in the outfield, winning over the locals with his consistent hustle and goofy charisma.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Melky Cabrera turns heel as Royals snap losing streak in Chicago," 12 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of man

see ¹man

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

man

abbreviation

Definition of man

manual

Man

abbreviation

Definition of Man

Manitoba

MAN Defined for English Language Learners

man

play

noun

Definition of man for English Language Learners

: an adult male human being
: a man or boy who shows the qualities (such as strength and courage) that men are traditionally supposed to have
: a woman's husband or boyfriend

man

verb

Definition of man for English Language Learners

: to be the person who controls or is in charge of (something)
: to place people at or on (something) to do work

MAN Defined for Kids

man

play

noun \ ˈman \

Definition of man for Students

plural men \ˈmen\

1 :an adult male human being

2 :a human being :person

3 :the human race :mankind

4 :¹husband

I now pronounce you man and wife.

5 :an adult male servant or employee

6 :one of the pieces with which various games (as chess and checkers) are played

7 :a member of the group to which human beings belong including both modern humans and extinct related forms

man

verb

Definition of man for Students

manned; manning

:to work at or do the work of operating

We rode while students manned the oars.

Man.

abbreviation

Definition of Man. for Students

Manitoba

Medical Dictionary

man

play

noun \ ˈman \

medical Definition of man

plural men play \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