Man — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb abbreviation /ˈman/

Meaning & Definition of Man

Man (noun)

  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
  3. husband

Man (verb)

  1. to supply with people (as for service)
  2. to station members of a ship's crew at
  3. to serve in the force or complement of

Man (abbreviation)

  1. manual
  2. Manitoba

Man (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an adult male human being

    "several men will be needed to dig up the old tree stump in the backyard"

    similar: bastard, bloke (chiefly British), buck, cat, chap (chiefly British), chappie (British), dude, fella, fellow, galoot (slang), gent, gentleman, guy, hombre, jack, joe, joker, lad, male
    related: master, mister, sir, buddy, buster

  2. a male romantic companion

    "I'm going to see my man again tonight"

    similar: beau, boy, boyfriend, fellow, old man, swain
    related: admirer, crush, steady, gallant, suitor, wooer, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, soulmate, spark, sparker, squeeze (slang), sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetie pie, valentine, fancy man, gigolo, date, escort, groom, husband, fiancé, intended

  3. a member of the human race

    "every man has a responsibility to safeguard the planet"

    similar: baby, being, bird, bod (British), body, character, cookie, creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human, human being, individual, life, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight, son of man
    related: hominid, homo, humanoid, brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor, celebrity, personality, self, somebody
    near: animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

  4. the human race

    "man is always coming up with new advances in science and technology"

    similar: Homo sapiens, humanity, humankind, mankind
    related: being, body, creature, fellowman, human, individual, mortal, party, person

  5. the male partner in a marriage

    "I now pronounce you man and wife"

    similar: hubby, husband, mister, old man
    related: better half, companion, consort, mate, partner, significant other, spouse, Mr. Right, soulmate, bridegroom, groom, benedict, widower, househusband

  6. a body of officers of the law

    "the crowd of onlookers quickly scattered when the man arrived on the scene"

    similar: constabulary, finest, force, fuzz, heat (slang), police, police force
    related: bluecoat, bobby (British), bull (slang), constable, cop, copper, gendarme, officer, peeler (British), policeman, police officer, policewoman, shamus (slang), trooper

Related Entry: Man-at-arms (noun)

Man-at-arms is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man-at-arms, not for man.

  1. a person engaged in military service

    "the condottieri who served as men-at-arms for the Italian city-states often sold their allegiance to the highest bidder"

    similar: dogface, fighter, legionary, legionnaire, regular, serviceman, soldier, trooper, warrior
    related: servicewoman, carabineer, cavalier, cavalryman, cuirassier, dragoon, doughboy, footman, foot soldier, grunt, infantryman, commando, raider, jarhead (slang), marine, ranger, artilleryman, cannoneer, gunner, mortarman, musketeer, rifleman, archer, crossbowman, lancer, pikeman, spearman, Confederate, Continental, Federal, GI, guardsman, militiaman, minuteman, counterguerrilla, guerrilla, irregular, paramilitary, partisan, combatant, noncombatant, lifer, veteran, warhorse, conscript, draftee, enrollee, recruit, reservist, champion, knight, digger (chiefly Australian & New Zealand), gallowglass, gendarme
    opposite: civilian

Related Entry: Man-made (adjective)

Man-made is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man-made, not for man.

  1. being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

    "man-made diamonds that were really just glass"

    similar: artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, mimic, mock, pretend, sham, simulated, substitute, synthetic
    related: cultured, manufactured, process, unauthentic, adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with), concocted, fabricated, counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony, affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious
    opposite: genuine, natural, real
    near: authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true, premium, quality, valuable, pure, unadulterated

  2. produced by humans rather than natural processes

    "the houses in the new development are built around a man-made lake"

    similar: artificial, nonnatural, synthetic
    related: fabricated, manufactured, cultivated, processed, refined, industrial, mechanical, ersatz, faux, imitation
    opposite: natural
    near: crude, raw

Related Entry: Man-size (adjective)

Man-size is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man-size, not for man.

  1. of, relating to, or marked by qualities traditionally associated with men

    "worked up a man-size appetite playing soccer"

    similar: male, manlike, manly, mannish, masculine, virile
    related: hairy-chested, hypermasculine, macho, ultramasculine, boyish, hoydenish, tomboyish, Amazonian, butch
    opposite: unmanly, unmasculine
    near: metrosexual, unmacho, effeminate, girlish, sissified, sissy, feminine, womanish, womanlike, womanly, emasculated, impotent, weakened, androgynous, neuter

Related Entry: Man in the street (phrase)

Man in the street is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man in the street, not for man.

  1. an average or ordinary man

    "The family-owned shop tries to carry products that would interest the man in the street."

    similar: everyman, Joe Blow, Joe Six-Pack, John Doe, little guy, little man, lug, slob
    related: commoner, pleb, plebeian, prole, proletarian, everywoman, plain Jane, laborer, peon, worker
    near: big cheese, big shot, big wheel, big wig, fat cat, mover and shaker, VIP

Related Entry: Man of letters (phrase)

Man of letters is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man of letters, not for man.

  1. a person who creates a written work

    "Shakespeare is widely renowned as one of the greatest men of letters ever to have lived."

    similar: author, litterateur, pen, penman, scribe, scrivener, writer
    related: auteur, belletrist, stylist, wordsmith, coauthor, coscenarist, cowriter, ghostwriter, hack, hatchet man, scribbler, wordmonger, biographer, hagiographer, autobiographer, memoirist, memorialist, fabulist, fictioneer, fictionist, novelist, romancer, storyteller, essayist, pamphleteer, satirist, dramatist, playwright, scenarist, screenwriter, scriptwriter, prosaist, prosateur, proser, bard, poet, rhymer, versifier, blogger, columnist, journalist, newspaperman, paragrapher, reporter, sportswriter
    opposite: nonauthor

Related Entry: Man on horseback (phrase)

Man on horseback is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man on horseback, not for man.

  1. a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way

    "Their leader was a man on horseback who didn't actually care about the people he ruled."

    similar: caesar, despot, dictator, führer, oppressor, pharaoh, strongman, tyrannizer, tyrant
    related: autarch, autocrat, monocrat, authoritarian, Big Brother, paramount, potentate, totalitarian, caudillo, overlord, warlord, boss, captain, chief, dominator, kingpin, leader, master, ruler, king, lord, monarch, prince, queen, sovereign, baron, czar, magnate, mogul, tycoon, disciplinarian, discipliner, enforcer, martinet, taskmaster

Related Entry: Man Friday (noun)

Man Friday is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man Friday, not for man.

  1. as in right hand

    similar: right hand, gal Friday, girl Friday, aide-de-camp, employee, hand, help, hireling, laborer, swamper, worker, auxiliary, legman, subordinate, underling, attendant, handmaiden, maid, maidservant, scullion, servant, adjunct, adjutant, aid, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, helper, helpmate, helpmeet, lieutenant, mate, sidekick

Related Entry: Man Fridays (noun)

Man Fridays is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man Fridays, not for man.

  1. as in right hands

    similar: right hands, gal Fridays, girl Fridays, aides-de-camp, employees, hands, help, hirelings, laborers, swampers, workers, auxiliaries, legmen, subordinates, underlings, attendants, handmaidens, maids, maidservants, scullions, servants, adjuncts, adjutants, aides, aids, apprentices, assistants, coadjutors, deputies, helpers, helpmates, helpmeets, lieutenants, mates, sidekicks

Related Entry: Man-of-war (noun)

Man-of-war is a different word from Man. The synonyms below are for man-of-war, not for man.

  1. as in warship, merchantman

    similar: aircraft carrier, argosy, barge, coaster, collier, containership, corvette, cruiser, cutter, destroyer, ferryboat, flagship, freighter, icebreaker, ironclad, lightship, liner, merchantman, merchant ship, motor ship, packet, steamer, steamship, superliner, supertanker, tanker, trader, tramp, transport, warship, watercraft, boat, keel, ship, vessel, bark, brig, brigantine, caravel, clipper, junk, ketch, sailboat, schooner, square-rigger, tall ship, windjammer, xebec, yacht

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Man

The most common words with a similar meaning to Man:

Chiefly British: bloke, chap
British: chappie, bod
Slang: galoot, heat
bastard, buck, cat, dude, fella, fellow, gent, gentleman, guy, hombre, jack, joe, joker, lad, male, beau, boy, boyfriend, old man, swain, baby, being, bird, body, character, cookie, creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, head, human, human being, individual, life, mortal, party

Related Words for Man

master, sir, buddy, buster, admirer, crush, steady, gallant, suitor, wooer, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, soulmate, spark, sparker, squeeze, sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetie pie, valentine, fancy man, gigolo

Near Antonyms of Man

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

Word Forms of Man

Inflections: men, manned, manning

Derived words: manless (adjective), manlike (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Man

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

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Man

Words & Phrases Containing Man

man-about-town, man ape, man-at-arms, man boobs

Frequently Asked Questions about Man

What does "Man" mean?

"Man" means an individual human; especially, an adult male human. As an a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, it is defined as: an individual human; especially, an adult male human. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Man"?

Other words for "Man" include bastard, bloke, buck, cat, chap, chappie, dude and fella. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Man" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Man"?

There are 140 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Man". Common alternatives include bastard, bloke, buck, cat, chap, chappie, dude, fella, fellow and galoot.

How do you use "Man" in a sentence?

Examples of "Man" in a sentence: "several men will be needed to dig up the old tree stump in the backyard"; "I'm going to see my man again tonight"; "every man has a responsibility to safeguard the planet".

Is "Man" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Man" can be used as a noun, a verb and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

Is "Man" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Man" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Man"?

"Man" is pronounced /ˈman/.

What is the origin of the word "Man"?

"Man" comes from Middle English, from Old English man, mon human being, male human; akin to Old High German man human being, Sanskrit manu. First known use: before 12th century.