Search results for 'man':

man noun (men) 1 an adult male human being. Opposite of woman. Also as adj • men friends • man child. 2 in compounds a male person associated with a specified activity • postman • businessman. 3 in compounds a male person who was born in, or lives in, a specified country or place • Yorkshireman. 4 human beings as a whole or as a genus (see homo¹); the human race • when man first walked the Earth. Also called mankind. 5 in compounds a any subspecies of, or type of creature belonging to, the human genus Homo • Neanderthal man • modern man; b an individual member of such a group; a hominid • Java man. 6 a human being; a person • the right man for the job • Time waits for no man. Often in compounds • manhunt • man-made • a two-man job. 7 a an ordinary employee, worker or member of the armed forces, as distinguished from a manager or officer • The new boss gets on well with the men. Compare staff noun 1b; b) as adj • man-hours. 8 an adult male human being displaying typical or expected masculine qualities, such as strength and courage • Stand up and be a man • He's a real man. 9 sport, etc a male member of a team, group, etc. 10 in various board games, eg draughts and chess: one of the movable pieces. 11 colloq a husband or boyfriend • Her man left her. 12 colloq used as a form of address to an adult male, in various contexts, eg indicating impatience • Damn it, man! • Just get on with it, man. 13 old use any male servant, especially a valet. 14 colloq the perfect thing or person, especially for a specified job or purpose • If you need a good mechanic, David's your man • When you're feeling down, a pint of plain's your man. verb (manned, manning) 1 to provide (eg a ship, industrial plant, fortress, etc) with men, ie workers, operators, defenders, especially male ones. Also in compounds • overmanning • undermanned • We are fully-manned today. 2 to operate (a piece of equipment, etc) or to make it ready for action • man the pumps. exclamation, colloq, especially US used to intensify a statement that follows it • Man, is she gorgeous! manned adj said of a ship, machine, spacecraft, etc: provided with men, operators, crew, etc. as one man simultaneously; all together. be one's own man to be independent, not relying on or controlled by anyone else. be someone's man to be exactly the person they are looking for to do a particular job • You're my man. make a man of someone to cause him to acquire some or all of the stereotypical adult male qualities, such as strength, toughness, courage, self-sufficiency. man alive! chiefly US an expression of surprise. man and boy from childhood to manhood; for all of someone's life. man to man openly or frankly; as one man to another. sort out or separate the men from the boys colloq to serve as a test that will prove someone's ability, calibre, quality, etc or otherwise • It's a climb that will surely separate the men from the boys. to a man slightly formal or old use without exception • The board accepted my decision to a man. men in grey suits unseen establishment figures holding the ultimate power in an organization, political party, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon mann.

man noun (men) 1 an adult male human being. Opposite of woman. Also as adj • men friends • man child. 2 in compounds a male person associated with a specified activity • postman • businessman. 3 in compounds a male person who was born in, or lives in, a specified country or place • Yorkshireman. 4 human beings as a whole or as a genus (see homo¹); the human race • when man first walked the Earth. Also called mankind. 5 in compounds a any subspecies of, or type of creature belonging to, the human genus Homo • Neanderthal man • modern man; b an individual member of such a group; a hominid • Java man. 6 a human being; a person • the right man for the job • Time waits for no man. Often in compounds • manhunt • man-made • a two-man job. 7 a an ordinary employee, worker or member of the armed forces, as distinguished from a manager or officer • The new boss gets on well with the men. Compare staff noun 1b; b) as adj • man-hours. 8 an adult male human being displaying typical or expected masculine qualities, such as strength and courage • Stand up and be a man • He's a real man. 9 sport, etc a male member of a team, group, etc. 10 in various board games, eg draughts and chess: one of the movable pieces. 11 colloq a husband or boyfriend • Her man left her. 12 colloq used as a form of address to an adult male, in various contexts, eg indicating impatience • Damn it, man! • Just get on with it, man. 13 old use any male servant, especially a valet. 14 colloq the perfect thing or person, especially for a specified job or purpose • If you need a good mechanic, David's your man • When you're feeling down, a pint of plain's your man. verb (manned, manning) 1 to provide (eg a ship, industrial plant, fortress, etc) with men, ie workers, operators, defenders, especially male ones. Also in compounds • overmanning • undermanned • We are fully-manned today. 2 to operate (a piece of equipment, etc) or to make it ready for action • man the pumps. exclamation, colloq, especially US used to intensify a statement that follows it • Man, is she gorgeous! manned adj said of a ship, machine, spacecraft, etc: provided with men, operators, crew, etc. as one man simultaneously; all together. be one's own man to be independent, not relying on or controlled by anyone else. be someone's man to be exactly the person they are looking for to do a particular job • You're my man. make a man of someone to cause him to acquire some or all of the stereotypical adult male qualities, such as strength, toughness, courage, self-sufficiency. man alive! chiefly US an expression of surprise. man and boy from childhood to manhood; for all of someone's life. man to man openly or frankly; as one man to another. sort out or separate the men from the boys colloq to serve as a test that will prove someone's ability, calibre, quality, etc or otherwise • It's a climb that will surely separate the men from the boys. to a man slightly formal or old use without exception • The board accepted my decision to a man. men in grey suits unseen establishment figures holding the ultimate power in an organization, political party, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon mann.

man noun (men) 1 an adult male human being. Opposite of woman. Also as adj • men friends • man child. 2 in compounds a male person associated with a specified activity • postman • businessman. 3 in compounds a male person who was born in, or lives in, a specified country or place • Yorkshireman. 4 human beings as a whole or as a genus (see homo¹); the human race • when man first walked the Earth. Also called mankind. 5 in compounds a any subspecies of, or type of creature belonging to, the human genus Homo • Neanderthal man • modern man; b an individual member of such a group; a hominid • Java man. 6 a human being; a person • the right man for the job • Time waits for no man. Often in compounds • manhunt • man-made • a two-man job. 7 a an ordinary employee, worker or member of the armed forces, as distinguished from a manager or officer • The new boss gets on well with the men. Compare staff noun 1b; b) as adj • man-hours. 8 an adult male human being displaying typical or expected masculine qualities, such as strength and courage • Stand up and be a man • He's a real man. 9 sport, etc a male member of a team, group, etc. 10 in various board games, eg draughts and chess: one of the movable pieces. 11 colloq a husband or boyfriend • Her man left her. 12 colloq used as a form of address to an adult male, in various contexts, eg indicating impatience • Damn it, man! • Just get on with it, man. 13 old use any male servant, especially a valet. 14 colloq the perfect thing or person, especially for a specified job or purpose • If you need a good mechanic, David's your man • When you're feeling down, a pint of plain's your man. verb (manned, manning) 1 to provide (eg a ship, industrial plant, fortress, etc) with men, ie workers, operators, defenders, especially male ones. Also in compounds • overmanning • undermanned • We are fully-manned today. 2 to operate (a piece of equipment, etc) or to make it ready for action • man the pumps. exclamation, colloq, especially US used to intensify a statement that follows it • Man, is she gorgeous! manned adj said of a ship, machine, spacecraft, etc: provided with men, operators, crew, etc. as one man simultaneously; all together. be one's own man to be independent, not relying on or controlled by anyone else. be someone's man to be exactly the person they are looking for to do a particular job • You're my man. make a man of someone to cause him to acquire some or all of the stereotypical adult male qualities, such as strength, toughness, courage, self-sufficiency. man alive! chiefly US an expression of surprise. man and boy from childhood to manhood; for all of someone's life. man to man openly or frankly; as one man to another. sort out or separate the men from the boys colloq to serve as a test that will prove someone's ability, calibre, quality, etc or otherwise • It's a climb that will surely separate the men from the boys. to a man slightly formal or old use without exception • The board accepted my decision to a man. men in grey suits unseen establishment figures holding the ultimate power in an organization, political party, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon mann.