he-man
Americannoun
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he-men
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of he-man
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is a trend that could make classic Hollywood he-man John Wayne proud.
From Washington Times ● May 31, 2022
Cable TV dresses up space aliens in he-man drag, making the subtext into text, the way Carlson’s tough talk and aggressive posturing playact a child’s idea of manliness.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2021
Starting in the ’80s, his hard-core music, confrontational spoken-word pieces, and he-man persona consciously used virility to attack itself — something that Idles now does just as avidly.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2019
Expect a meat-heavy menu and he-man portions at the main restaurant, and a full-service spa that even offers canine massage.
From Time ● Sep. 25, 2017
“Big brave jock. Big, handsome, he-man jock. I admit you could do it. But I’d get you back.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Sure, I had rolled my bespectacled eyes at the he-men flexing on my Instagram feed just the other day, but things were totally different now that I was a paragon of masculinity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
How a pair of ageing he-men who effectively retired 16 years ago ended up back in cold war costume is a story that begins with Iraq and Afghanistan.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2019
But the ability to quash or conceal sadness or pain is a virtue long prized by stoics, yogis, monks, kung fu masters and American he-men heroes.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2015
There are GOP he-men and big thinkers aplenty at the three-day event.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 19, 2015
She looked for her companion's sympathy in her admiration, but the woods seemed to oppress him, and his panting sigh showed how real a thing was he-men.
From The Young Step-Mother by Charlotte Mary Yonge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
