manpower

American  

[man-pau-er] / ˈmænˌpaʊ ər /

noun

1. power in terms of people available or required for work or military service.

   the manpower of a country.

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manpower British  

/ ˈmænˌpaʊə /

noun

1. power supplied by men

2. a unit of power based on the rate at which a man can work; approximately 75 watts

3. the number of people available or required to perform a particular function

   the manpower of a battalion

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Usage

Gender-neutral form: personnel, staff

Etymology

Origin of manpower

First recorded in 1860–65; man + power

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Explanation

Manpower is the total number of people who can work to get something done. How quickly you clean your house after a big party will depend on how much manpower you've got. The term manpower can mean "labor force," "workforce," "workers," or simply "people," and despite the man, it applies to both men and women. A large ship requires more manpower than a small sailboat, and the amount of manpower required to run Disneyland for a day is estimated to be at least 20,000 employees, most of whom aren't wearing cartoon character costumes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manpower

“Even the contractors have lobbied with us to keep TPS extending, because they would lose a lot of manpower in this area,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

With thousands of DNA profiles to process, fragmented remains and limited technical capacity and manpower, experts warn matching bodies to families could take weeks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The coalition would be even stronger if skittish Egypt lent its manpower to the fight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Four and a half years into Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is facing a desperate manpower shortage.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Kaan did not directly occupy Mutal; victorious Maya cities rarely had the manpower to rule their rivals directly.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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