: 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 articulateentry 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
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In the book, our man Fletch is engaged to an heiress from Italy. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022 Penn State’s rushing defense is a question mark, but the Lions are going to load the box and play man and dare Auburn quarterback TJ Finley to throw. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 15 Sep. 2022 His hit on Rutgers return man Aron Cruickshank last season forced a fumble. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 15 Sep. 2022 What, other than the man himself and the story of his remarkable and unlikely journey to the White House, bound them together? Michael Sokolove, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2022 One man exited and was detained, according to police. Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Sep. 2022 Finally, with the blessings of his equally wealthy and famous sons, the famous, wealthy man reconnects with the dowdy girl and asks her to marry him. Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022 One man was shot on Neal Street in a residential area one block north of Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park, Brown said. Chelsea Prince, ajc, 15 Sep. 2022 Scott drove his man back several yards out of the way, clearing a wide hole through which Henderson broke away for a 23-yard touchdown run. Nathan Baird, cleveland, 15 Sep. 2022
Verb
At the start of the 2013 season, Chicago Cubs prospect Daniel Vogelbach was stuck behind first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who was expected to man the position for years. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022 Andrew Vorhees, Brett Neilon and Justin Dedich have remained locked in on the interior, while Jonah Monheim has continued to man the right tackle spot.Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2022 There are reports that some states have the equipment in place, but may not have the staff to man the lines. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 July 2022 Consider Hill was brought here specifically to man the slot, a specialty of his, while Newsome was a rookie who, according to PFF’s 2021 draft guide, played 18 snaps in the slot in three seasons at Northwestern. Dan Labbe, cleveland, 13 July 2022 The group needs someone to man the phone at all hours, as more and more requests are coming in. Judith Magyar, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Now, the question is which writers will man up and write about how wrong this is. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 1 Aug. 2022 The great utility revolution is crying out for people to man it and see it through. Llewellyn King, Forbes, 21 June 2022 On Wednesday, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that the 24-year-old driver will man the No. 45 Honda for the team's final three races of the season in IndyCar's closing West Coast swing. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Sep. 2021 See More
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)