merman
noun
(in folklore) a male marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a man and the tail of a fish.
merman
1 American
[mur-man]
/ ˈmɜrˌmæn /
noun
-
mermen
plural
-
(in folklore) a male marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a man and the tail of a fish.
-
a highly skilled male swimmer.
Merman
2
American
[mur-muhn]
/ ˈmɜr mən /
noun
merman
British
/ ˈmɜːˌmæn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of merman
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:
Louie’s face appears on a merman swimming near a shipwreck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025
But the first mermaid that comes into focus doesn’t so much evoke wonder as it does a flashback of Ben Stiller’s merman in “Zoolander.”
From Washington Times ● May 23, 2023
Well, yes, but you can blame Javier Bardem, who can do the gaze-of-a-loving-father thing to perfection, even when decked out with a merman tail.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
One merman even ventured into a local tavern, where he splayed himself out atop the bar, puffing a long cigarette.
From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2020
With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Ethel Merman picked up a wine glass and gently squeezed the top.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
But no actor had it harder than Angela Lansbury, who was in the first Broadway revival after Merman patented the role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2025
Jerry Zucker: In terms of Ethel Merman and Barbara Billingsley, we thought of a joke: "What if someone said he thinks he's Ethel Merman, and it was her?"
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2023
Floating in the Sacramento pool where fellow attendees of the California convention had gathered, Merman Maui summed up the importance of the community this way: “I have a new family with all these people.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2022
“That Ethel Merman can really belt it out.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Majesty: Hairy, potbellied mermen are taking the Canadian coast by storm, reinventing Newfoundland’s maritime culture and challenging the local, traditional ideas of manhood.
From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2020
The TV production stars what appear to be very young versions of mermaids and mermen in stories that teach basic math, reading and social skills.
From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2018
Dive Bar’s 40-foot-long aquarium, located above the main bar, holds 7,500 gallons of saltwater, 60-some tropical fish and, on occasion, mermaids and mermen.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2018
Chandler of the Merfest, in particular, deals with them as one of the few males, called mermen, who put on a tail - which he does for “fun and exercise,” not for money.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 15, 2015
“Under the sea the mermen feast on starfish soup, • and all the serving men are crabs,” Patchface proclaimed as they went.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
