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Synonyms

mac

1 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

  1. fellow; bud (a familiar term of address to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).

mac 2 American  
[mak] / mæk /
Or mack

noun

Informal.

  1. a mackintosh.

  2. McIntosh.

mac 3 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

  1. macaroni.

  2. macaroni and cheese.

Mac 4 American  
[mak] / mæk /

noun

  1. a male given name.

Mac. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Maccabees.

M.Ac. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Master of Accountancy.

Mac- 7 American  
Also Mc-,

  1. a prefix found in many family names of Irish or Scottish Gaelic origin, as MacBride and Macdonald.

Mac 1 British  
/ mæk /

noun

  1. an informal term of address to a man

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
MAC 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. multiplexed analogue component: a transmission coding system for colour television using satellite broadcasting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mac. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Maccabees (books of the Apocrypha)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mac- 4 British  

prefix

  1. (in surnames of Scottish or Irish Gaelic origin) son of

    MacDonald

    MacNeice
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mac 5 British  
/ mæk /

noun

  1. informal short for mackintosh mackintosh

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mac1

First recorded in 1650–60; special use of Mac

Origin of mac2

Shortened form

Origin of mac3

Shortened form

Origin of Mac-7

< Irish, Scots Gaelic mac son, Old Irish macc; akin to Welsh, Cornish mab

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.

I think the first time I went, they had a really good oxtail mac and cheese.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Creamed spinach and mac and cheese will not stage a revolt.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

Gather your mac and cheese, your spanakopita triangles, your dumplings, your roasted vegetables in tidy bags.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

Just make the mac and cheese for dinner.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

“Celia said they did a mean mac and cheese. I was expecting some small, down-home kinda place.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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.