iron man

American  

noun

1. a person, as a worker or athlete, of great physical endurance who can be depended upon to perform a given task or job tirelessly.

2. a machine that performs a job formerly done by hand; robot.

3. Slang. a dollar bill or a silver dollar.

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iron man British  

noun

1. an event at a surf carnival in which contestants compete at swimming, surfing, running, etc

2. a competitor at such an event

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Etymology

Origin of iron man

First recorded in 1610–20

Compare meaning

How does iron-man compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ironmonger vs. iron man

Example Sentences

However, this would-be iron man recently suffered a set-back when he was arrested in the central African nation of Chad.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024

“We’re not blessed with numbers, so it’s a lot of iron man football.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2022

Ryan Kerrigan, the Washington Commanders’ all-time sack leader whose dedicated workouts led to an impressive iron man streak, announced his retirement Friday after playing 11 seasons in the NFL.

From Washington Times • Jul. 29, 2022

"For the past five seasons, JC has been a mainstay and iron man at center for us," said Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

From Fox News • Mar. 15, 2022

And high above me now the bridge seemed to move off to where I could not see, striding like a robot, an iron man, whose iron legs clanged doomfully as it moved.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison