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  • mac
    mac
    noun
    fellow; bud (a familiar term of address to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).
  • Mac
    Mac
    noun
    a male given name.
  • Mac.
    Mac.
    abbreviation
    Maccabees.
  • M.Ac.
    M.Ac.
    abbreviation
    Master of Accountancy.
  • Mac-
    Mac-
    a prefix found in many family names of Irish or Scottish Gaelic origin, as MacBride and Macdonald.
  • MAC
    MAC
    abbreviation
    multiplexed analogue component: a transmission coding system for colour television using satellite broadcasting
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 /
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.

See Examples For:

The offerings include returning items, such as a smoky burger and chicken sandwich, plus a new side — mac and cheese.

From MarketWatch Apr. 29, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 10, 2026

Pulled smoked chicken + frozen mac and cheese + cabbage slaw.

From Salon Feb. 18, 2026

Berkshire has indicated it might sell its entire 27.5% stake in the maker of condiments and mac & cheese.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 22, 2026

He takes one of the bowls of mac and cheese from beneath the heat lamps.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Throughout the week people have been able to attend a dedicated Irish Language Hub at The Mac, which was also the venue for a performance by singer Kate Nash.

From BBC Aug. 9, 2026

Buckingham believes making the forthcoming Apple TV documentary has not only helped mend the rift between he and Nicks, but also any remaining tensions with other Fleetwood Mac members.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 7, 2026

On TV, actors Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds’ excursion into the wild world of British Premier football, “Welcome to Wrexham,” recently expanded to include a women’s team, the Red Dragons.

From Salon Aug. 7, 2026

Company president said the revamped burger was helping win market share; McDonald’s recently overhauled the Big Mac.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 7, 2026

It was just like Mac said: everything looked so normal.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

“Mac Jones, for sure. Yeah, Mac. He’s the best,” Parker said.

From Washington Times Aug. 3, 2023

“My life was completely wrapped up in Fleetwood Mac. You can call in sick to a job, a boyfriend, even a husband, but you cannot call in sick to Fleetwood Mac – ever.”

From The Guardian Apr. 17, 2019

“It was only made for the Mac. It was less than one percent market share in the U.S. They like to say ‘low single digits.’

From The Verge Jun. 13, 2017

"He was the first person to buy a Mac. He was the first person to tell me about the Internet. I had no idea what he was talking about."

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 25, 2015

“Mac. Mac. Mac,” George said, saying Owen’s nickname with every panting breath he let out.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Apple tends to hold a second Mac- or iPad-focused event in the fall roughly every other year.

From Slate Sep. 11, 2018

Simply put: If your school requires any Mac- or Windows-only apps, then you can’t use an iPad in place of an actual laptop.

From Slate Jul. 27, 2018

Kathlene Mac- Donell is rather better as the cabaret performer.

From Time Magazine Archive

He went farther in ten days than did Britisher Mac- Laren, covering 5,468 miles in 45 hours and 20 minutes of actual flying time.

From Time Magazine Archive

While we were taking Bougainville, General Mac- Arthur’s forces would be landing on the western end of New Britain Island at Cape Gloucester to establish a new airfield there, too.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Wood said he simply took the one-year estimate in the study and multiplied it to account for Sacramento State’s five-year agreement with the MAC.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 24, 2026

He said that its “consumer-facing” investments included opening new retail locations for its luxury fragrance brands while closing some of its MAC and Origins locations.

From MarketWatch Feb. 5, 2026

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that means the MAC.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 24, 2025

“Meanwhile, the MAC is out here playing real football in front of 14 people and a raccoon on a Tuesday night during a blizzard.”

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 24, 2025

Now this angle AMC, being known, the right-angled triangle MAC is easily resolved, since the side AC of that triangle, being the radius of the earth, is a known dimension.

From A History of Science — Volume 2 by Williams, Henry Smith

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