man-of-war
Americannoun
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a warship
Other Word 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.
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
Later, I got stung by a Portuguese man-of-war.
From National Geographic • Dec. 16, 2017
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
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.
