1 N‑COUNT A man is an adult male human being. □ He had not expected the young man to reappear before evening. □ [+ of ] I have always regarded him as a man of integrity. □ …the thousands of men, women and children who are facing starvation.
2 N‑VAR Man and men are sometimes used to refer to all human beings, including both males and females. Some people dislike this use. □ The chick initially has no fear of man.
3 N‑COUNT If you say that a man is, for example, a gambling man or an outdoors man , you mean that he likes gambling or outdoor activities. □ Are you a gambling man, Mr Graham?
4 N‑COUNT If you say that a man is, for example, a London man or an Oxford man , you mean that he comes from London or Oxford, or went to university there. □ …as the Stockport man collected his winnings.
5 N‑COUNT If you refer to a particular company's or organization's man , you mean a man who works for or represents that company or organization. [JOURNALISM ] □ …the Daily Telegraph's man in Abu Dhabi.
6 N‑SING Some people refer to someone's husband, lover, or boyfriend as their man . [INFORMAL ] □ …if they see your man cuddle you in the kitchen or living room.
7 N‑COUNT In very informal social situations, man is sometimes used as a greeting or form of address to a man. [FORMULAE ] □ Hey wow, man! Where d'you get those boots?
8 VERB If you man something such as a place or machine, you operate it or are in charge of it. □ [V n] …the person manning the phone at the complaints department. □ [be V -ed] The station is seldom manned in the evening.
9 → see also manned , ladies' man , no-man's land
10 PHRASE If you say that a man is man enough to do something, you mean that he has the necessary courage or ability to do it. □ I told him that he should be man enough to admit he had done wrong.
11 PHRASE If you describe a man as a man's man , you mean that he has qualities which make him popular with other men rather than with women.
12 PHRASE If you say that a man is his own man , you approve of the fact that he makes his decisions and his plans himself, and does not depend on other people. [APPROVAL ] □ Be your own man. Make up your own mind.
13 PHRASE If you say that a group of men are, do, or think something to a man , you are emphasizing that every one of them is, does, or thinks that thing. [EMPHASIS ] □ To a man, the surveyors blamed the government.
14 PHRASE A man-to-man conversation or meeting takes place between two men, especially two men who meet to discuss a serious personal matter. □ He called me to his office for a man-to-man talk. □ Me and Ben should sort this out man to man.
15 the man in the street → see street
16 man of the world → see world
▸ man up PHRASAL VERB If you man up , you start to be more brave in the way that you deal with a situation. □ [V P ] You need to man up and confront them.
-man /-mæn/ COMB [ADJ n] -man combines with numbers to make adjectives which indicate that something involves or is intended for that number of people. □ …the four-man crew on board the fishing trawler. □ …a two-man tent.
mana|cle /mæ nək ə l/ (manacles , manacling , manacled )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Manacles are metal devices attached to a prisoner's wrists or legs in order to prevent him or her from moving or escaping.
2 VERB [usu passive] If a prisoner is manacled , their wrists or legs are put in manacles in order to prevent them from moving or escaping. □ [be V -ed prep/adv] His hands were manacled behind his back. □ [be V -ed] He was manacled by the police.
man|age ◆◆◇ /mæ n I dʒ/ (manages , managing , managed )
1 VERB If you manage an organization, business, or system, or the people who work in it, you are responsible for controlling them. □ [V n] Within two years he was managing the store. □ [be V -ed] Most factories in the area are obsolete and badly managed. □ [V n] There is a lack of confidence in the government's ability to manage the economy.
2 VERB If you manage time, money, or other resources, you deal with them carefully and do not waste them. □ [V n] In a busy world, managing your time is increasingly important. □ [V n] Josh expects me to manage all the household expenses on very little.
3 VERB If you manage to do something, especially something difficult, you succeed in doing it. □ [V to-inf] Somehow, he'd managed to persuade Kay to buy one for him. □ [V n] Over the past 12 months the company has managed a 10 per cent improvement.
4 VERB If you manage , you succeed in coping with a difficult situation. □ [V ] She had managed perfectly well without medication for three years. □ [V ] I am managing, but I could not possibly give up work.
5 VERB If you say that you can manage an amount of time or money for something, you mean that you can afford to spend that time or money on it. □ [V n] 'All right, I can manage a fiver,' McMinn said with reluctance.
6 VERB If you say that someone managed a particular response, such as a laugh or a greeting, you mean that it was difficult for them to do it because they were feeling sad or upset. □ [V n] He looked dazed as he spoke to reporters, managing only a weak smile.
7 CONVENTION You say ' I can manage ' or ' I'll manage ' as a way of refusing someone's offer of help and insisting on doing something by yourself. □ I know you mean well, but I can manage by myself.