noun

man

MAN

noun

An adult male human being.

"The man at the counter smiled and handed back her change."

"He grew from a boy into a man over those difficult years."

Human beings collectively; humankind (an older, now often avoided, generic use).

"The book traces the history of man from the Stone Age onward."

A husband or male romantic partner.

"She introduced him as "my man" at the party."

verb

To supply a place, post, or piece of equipment with the people needed to run or operate it.

"Volunteers manned the phones all night during the telethon."

"The ship couldn't sail until enough sailors had manned it."

intj

Used to add emphasis or express strong feeling, regardless of who is being addressed.

""Man, that was a close call!" he said, catching his breath."

How to Use Man

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe basic word for an adult male person, though it also survives in some older or generic uses meaning "person" or "humankind."

Common pairings

a young man man up the man of the house best man

Word Forms

manned past tense, men plural, Mans plural, Mans plural, Mans plural, mans singular

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The _____ at the counter smiled and handed back her change.

Etymology

From Old English mann ("human being, person"), going back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root simply meaning "human being" — the word originally covered both sexes before narrowing, in most uses, to mean an adult male.

Synonyms

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bloke boy bro broski bruh cat chap chappy chield cove covey dog [⇒ thesaurus] (slang)

Antonyms

woman

Related Words

cat woman person boy girl son uncle friend

Rhymes for man

Oman iman Aman woman human roman Amman suman Osman Inman Lyman Haman

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