man-of-war
Americannoun
-
a warship
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of man-of-war
1400–50 in sense “soldier”; late Middle English
Vocabulary lists containing man-of-war
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:
By-the-wind-sailors are related to jellyfish and the Portuguese man-of-war, which can produce a painful sting, but their tentacles are mostly harmless, Pernet said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2023
A: Although Portuguese man-of-war look like jellyfish, they are technically classified as Physalia.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
A news story of the day claimed that on the way to Nassau, Bonnet was involved in a fight with a Spanish man-of-war and his ship was damaged and Bonnet seriously wounded.
From Salon ● May 21, 2022
“I feel bad that they took that kind of chance, probably for nothing,” said Januik, as a highly poisonous Portuguese man-of-war swam past his dock.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2022
She sailed across the room like a man-of-war, showing the brocaded tips of her shoes and layers of lace-trimmed, starched petticoats.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Beachgoers have been warned to stay away from potentially fatal Portuguese men-of-war washed up on English and Welsh beaches.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2017
The men-of-war retain their sting when they are wet, even if they look dead, he warned.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2017
Strange creatures called Portuguese men-of-war have washed up on beaches in Cornwall, according to the council.
From Children's BBC ● Sep. 7, 2012
The Navy has decided that the less said about movement and assignment of men-of-war the better.
From Time Magazine Archive
As yet, only the British men-of-war had arrived.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
