n.
(pl. men)
- an adult human male.
- a male member of a workforce, team, etc.
- a husband or lover:
![]()
man and wife.
- a person.
▸human beings in general; the human race.
-
(the Man)
informal a group or person in a position of authority over others, such as a corporate employer or the police.
- a figure or token used in a board game.
v.
(mans, manning, manned)
- provide (a place or machine) with the personnel to run, operate, or defend it.
- archaic fortify the spirits or courage of.
exclam.
informal, chiefly N. Amer. used for emphasis or to express surprise, admiration, or delight.
Phrase
- be someone's
(or the)
man
be the person perfectly suited to a requirement or task. - be man enough
be brave enough. - man about town
a fashionable and sociable man. - man and boy
from childhood. - the man in
(or US on)
the street
the average man. - man of the cloth
a clergyman. - man of God
a clergyman. ▸a holy man or saint.
- man of the house
the male head of a household. - man of letters
a male scholar or author. - man of straw
(also straw man)
- a person who is a sham.
- a person undertaking a financial commitment without adequate means.
- man to man
- in a direct and frank way between two men.
- denoting a defensive tactic in soccer or other sports in which each player is responsible for marking one opponent.
- to a man
without exception.
Derivative
- manless adj.
- manlike adj.
- manned adj.
Usage
The generic use of man to refer to ‘human beings in general’ has become problematic in modern use; it is now widely regarded as old-fashioned or sexist. Alternative terms such as the human race or humankind may be used in some contexts, but elsewhere there are no established alternatives, for example for the term manpower or the verb man.
Etymology
OE man(n), (pl.) menn (n.), mannian (v.), of Gmc origin; rel. to Sanskrit manu ‘mankind’.
