- man
- man1 W1S1 [mæn] n plural men [men]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(male person)¦2¦(strong/brave)¦3¦(person)¦4¦(people)¦5¦(worker)¦6¦(particular kind of man)¦7 man!8¦(soldier)¦9¦(husband)¦10 the man11 somebody's your man12 you da man!13 our man14 our man in/at something15 men in (grey) suits16 a man of his word17 a man of few words18 be your own man19 the man of the moment/hour/year20 it's every man for himself21 the man in the street22 a man of the people23 a man's man24 a ladies' man25 man and boy26 man and wife27 live as man and wife28 as one man29 to a man/to the last man30 man-about-town31 man of God/man of the cloth32 my (good) man33 my man34 your/yer man35¦(servant)¦36¦(game)¦37 every man jack38 kick/hit a man when he's down39 man's best friend40 the man of the house▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English;]1.) ¦(MALE PERSON)¦an adult male human→↑woman▪ There were two men and a woman in the car.▪ He's a very kind man.▪ a man's watch▪ Don't keep Hansen waiting - he's a busy man.2.) ¦(STRONG/BRAVE)¦ [C usually singular]a man who has the qualities that people think a man should have, such as being brave, strong etc▪ Come on, be a man now. No more crying.▪ He wasn't man enough (=strong or brave enough) to face up to his responsibilities.make a man (out) of sb(=make a boy or young man start behaving in a confident way)▪ Running his own business has really made a man out of Terry.3.) ¦(PERSON)¦a person, either male or female - used especially in formal situations or in the past▪ All men are equal in the eyes of the law.▪ a man's right to work4.) ¦(PEOPLE)¦[U]people as a group▪ This is one of the worst diseases known to man.▪ the evolution of manprehistoric/stone-age/modern man(=people who lived at a particular stage of human development)5.) ¦(WORKER)¦a) [C usually plural]a man who works for an employer▪ Why were there no protests from the men at the factory?b)a man who does a job for you, especially repairing something▪ Has the man been to fix the TV?gas man/rent man etc▪ I waited all day for the gas man.c) the man from stha man who works for a particular company or organization▪ Was that the man from the PR agency?6.) ¦(PARTICULAR KIND OF MAN)¦a) a man who comes from a particular place, does a particular kind of work, or is connected with a particular organization, especially a university or company▪ I think she married a Belfast man.▪ I've been a military man all my life.▪ Even a Harvard man has a lot to learn about politics.b) a man who likes, or likes doing, a particular thing▪ I'm more of a jazz man myself.▪ Are you a betting man?7.) man!spokena) used when speaking to an adult male, especially when you are excited, angry etc▪ Stop talking nonsense, man!b) used when speaking to someone, especially an adult male▪ You look great, man!8.) ¦(SOLDIER)¦ [C usually plural]a soldier or ↑sailor who is under the authority of an officer▪ The Captain ordered his men to fire.9.) ¦(HUSBAND)¦ informala woman's husband or boyfriendsb's man▪ She spent five years waiting for her man to come out of prison.10.) the manspokena) used to talk about a man you dislike, a man who has done something stupid etc▪ Don't listen to him - the man's a complete idiot.b) The ManAmE old-fashioned someone who has authority over you, especially a police officer11.) sb's your manspoken used to say that a particular man is the best person for a job, situation etc▪ If you need repairs done in the house, Brian's your man.12.) you da man!you're the man!AmE spoken used to praise someone for having done something well13.) our manspoken used by the police to refer to a man that they are watching or trying to find, especially because they think he is responsible for a crime▪ Gareth couldn't possibly be our man. He couldn't possibly be a murderer.▪ Perhaps our man parked his car at the station and took the train.14.) our man in/at stha man who is the representative of a country or organization in a particular place▪ our man in Rome▪ a report on the accident from our man at the scene15.) men in (grey) suits informalthe men who control businesses, organizations etc, considered as a group, especially when you think they are boring16.) a man of his worda man you can trust, who will do what he has promised to do▪ He had promised to help, and Sally knew that Dr Neil was a man of his word.17.) a man of few wordsa man who does not talk very much▪ Being a man of few words, his message was short and to the point.18.) be your own manto behave and think independently without worrying about what other people think▪ I'm my own man. I say what I believe.19.) the man of the moment/hour/yeara man who has recently done something important▪ Olson was man of the hour when the team beat the Tigers.20.) it's every man for himselfspoken used to say that people will not help each other▪ In journalism it's every man for himself.21.) the man in the streetthe man on the Clapham omnibus BrE old-fashioned the average man or the average person= ↑Joe Bloggs/Schmo▪ This kind of music doesn't appeal to the man in the street.22.) a man of the peoplea man who understands and expresses the views and opinions of ordinary people▪ They want to demonstrate that the prime minister is a man of the people.23.) a man's mana man who enjoys being with other men and doing sports and activities with them, and is popular with men rather than women▪ He enjoyed his reputation as a man's man, but was careful never to neglect his family.24.) a ladies' mana man who is popular with women and who likes to go out with a lot of different women▪ Paul likes to think he's a bit of a ladies' man.25.) man and boyBrE if a man has done something man and boy, he has done it all his life▪ I've worked on that farm man and boy.26.) man and wifeif a man and a woman are man and wife, they are married▪ I now pronounce you man and wife (=you are now officially married) .27.) live as man and wifeif a man and woman live as man and wife, they live together as if they are married, although they are not28.) as one manwritten if a group of people do something as one man, they do it together▪ The audience rose as one man to applaud the singers.29.) to a man/to the last manwritten used to say that all the men in a group do something or have a particular quality▪ They were socialists to a man.30.) man-about-towna rich man who goes out a lot to parties, clubs, theatres etc▪ In his designer suit and shiny shoes he looked quite the man about town.31.) man of God/man of the clotha priest▪ You'd believe a man of the cloth, wouldn't you?32.) my (good) manBrE old-fashioned spoken used when talking to someone of a lower social class - do not use this phrase▪ My good man, I really don't think you should be here.33.) my manspoken used by some men to greet a friend▪ Jason, my man! How's it going?34.) your/yer manspoken used to talk about a particular man - used mainly in Ireland▪ I've got to go and see yer man up this afternoon.35.) ¦(SERVANT)¦ old-fashioned a male servant▪ My man will drive you to the station.36.) ¦(GAME)¦one of the pieces you use in a game such as ↑chess37.) every man jackold-fashioned each person in a group▪ Spies, every man jack of them, I'd bet.38.) kick/hit a man when he's downto treat someone badly when you know that they already have problems▪ Most of his rivals couldn't resist kicking a man when he was down.39.) man's best frienda dog40.) the man of the housethe most important male member of a family, who is responsible for doing things such as paying bills, making important decisions etc▪ Since my father's death, my uncle was the man of the house.man 2man2 past tense and past participle manned present participle manningv [T]to work at, use, or operate a system, piece of equipment etc▪ A team of volunteers are manning the phones.▪ the first manned spacecraftman 3man3 interjection especially AmEused to emphasize what you are saying, especially when you are angry, surprised, disappointed etc▪ Man, that was a lucky escape!▪ Oh, man ! I can hear the bullets.
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
