merman

¹ American  

[mur-man] / ˈmɜrˌmæn /

noun

plural

mermen

1. (in folklore) a male marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a man and the tail of a fish.

2. a highly skilled male swimmer.

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Merman ² American  

[mur-muhn] / ˈmɜr mən /

noun

1. Ethel Ethel Agnes Zimmerman, 1909–84, U.S. singer, musical comedy star, and actress.

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merman British  

/ ˈmɜːˌmæn /

noun

1. a male counterpart of the mermaid

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Etymology

Origin of merman

1595–1605; earlier mere-man; see mere ², man

Example Sentences

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

The merman held his trident in his wooden fist, the mermaid looked into the distance out of pale green eyes, dreaming of the waters of the open sea.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• mariner