man

The word “man” means an adult male human being. In plain terms, the basic word for an adult male person, though it also survives in some older or generic uses meaning "person" or "humankind.".

“Man” is pronounced MAN (/ˈmæn/ in IPA).

Here is “man” used in a sentence: “The man at the counter smiled and handed back her change.”

Words with a similar meaning to “man” include bloke, boy, bro, broski, bruh and cat.

The opposite of “man” — its antonyms — is woman.

Depending on how it is used, “man” can be a noun, a verb and an intj.

The word “man” comes from Old English.

“Man” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

A man is an adult male human, while a boy is a male child who has not yet grown up. The dividing line is maturity and age, legally often eighteen. Beyond biology, 'man' can also carry the sense of adult responsibility, which is why someone might say a boy has 'become a man.'

Historically, 'man' and 'mankind' were used to mean humanity as a whole, including women. This usage still appears in older texts and set phrases. Today many writers prefer gender-neutral terms like 'humanity,' 'people,' or 'humankind,' so the general sense of 'man' now sounds dated or is avoided in careful, inclusive writing.

The plural of 'man' is 'men,' an irregular form that changes the vowel rather than adding an '-s.' The same pattern appears in compounds, so one 'fireman' becomes several 'firemen,' and one 'businessman' becomes 'businessmen.' The possessive forms are 'man's' for one and 'men's' for more than one.