Definition of MAN (original) (raw)

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

council_man_

(3)

: husband

I now pronounce you man and wife.

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 articulate entry 1 sense 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

b

: the individual who can fulfill or who has been chosen to fulfill one's requirements

3

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

5

: an alumnus of or student at a college or university

6

Christian Science : the compound idea of infinite Spirit : the spiritual image and likeness of God : the full representation of Mind

7

often Man informal : police

When I heard the siren, I knew it was the Man.—Amer. Speech

8

often Man informal : the white establishment : white society

We should control anything that affects black people. Why should The Man control us?—Jimmy Denham

9

: one extremely fond of or devoted to something specified

strictly a vanilla ice cream man

Examples of man in a Sentence

Noun

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? Verb

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 on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

In the winter cold, men climbed leafless trees to see the President-elect speak. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 Armed men abducted former Malian minister Mountaga Tall from his home without explanation or arrest warrant, his family said. —Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

And the person manning the fryer since opening day is chef and kitchen manager Andres Mejia. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026 His father and uncle helped man the ovens. —Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for man

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of man was before the 12th century