man-of-war

variants also man-o'-war
Definition of man-of-warnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of man-of-war Melville wrote two more sailing novels that blended fiction and nonfiction based on his experiences on a merchant vessel (Redburn) and a man-of-war (White-Jacket), neither of which succeeded. Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026 Somewhere over the course of their evolution, the class of hydrozoans — which includes certain kinds of jellyfish, hydras, and colonial siphonophores such as the Portuguese man-of-war — lost the genes that operate circadian clocks in the rest of the animal kingdom. Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026 Chad Ryan’s scenic design of George and Martha’s rotting-from-the-inside house is decorated with the symbols of war, like a framed sword, a model man-of-war battleship and a bust of Napoleon. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 The Portuguese man-of-war is a siphonophore, meaning it is made up of a colony of organisms that each have a special function, according to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. Caroline Wilburn, Houston Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026 Nassau had no men-of-war ships, and Trott’s stone fort was still a building site. Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 My hundred-and-forty-foot man-of-war sought to make the first mission to the South Pole, a feat that would bring pride to England. Mike O’Brien, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023 Just as airpower eventually killed off the great men-of-war that had ruled the waves for millennia, so cyberweapons might strip other weapons or tactics of their utility. Kenneth M. Pollack, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for man-of-war
Noun
  • In-room requests (like asking for a steamer, for instance) are handled swiftly via WhatsApp.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
  • Functional pockets also offer plenty of room for on-the-go essentials, and the wrinkle-resistant spandex blend is ideal for traveling without having to lug around a steamer.
    Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • The Navy already has ships in the fleet that are former merchantmen.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 10 Jan. 2019
Noun
  • The warship and escorts are now at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, where the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is being offloaded.
    Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • In a reminder of the growing international tensions Britain faces, a Russian warship carried out a live-fire weapons exercise in the English Channel on Monday, the day Burnham took office.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • The Brotherhood later sued a Chesapeake Bay steamship, named the Sue, that had refused to admit Black passengers to its first-class cabin.
    Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2026
  • Those who chose to rest on the banks of the Potomac River could be seen by steamship passengers playing bridge and dancing in the river breeze.
    Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • According to court records, Lopez Insua was piloting a 25-foot (8-meter) tugboat pushing a construction barge across Biscayne Bay on July 28, 2025.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • According to prosecutors, Insua was operating a tugboat pushing a barge loaded with construction debris, while a deckhouse and crane obstructed his view ahead.
    Bethany Brown, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • The Boeing 737 entered service in 1999 as a passenger aircraft before it was converted into a freighter in 2011.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 9 July 2026
  • The 737-400 was first delivered as a passenger plane to Russia’s Aeroflot in 1999 and was converted to a freighter in 2012, according to Flightradar24.
    Reuters, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Noun
  • Boom operators are those who direct the transfer of fuel from the KC-135 fuel tanker to other aircraft mid-flight.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 26 July 2026
  • Of course, this growing mass constitutes a serious threat to the ocean ecosystem, not to mention the environmental catastrophes regularly caused by tanker accidents themselves.
    Alexander Klose, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • But nearly a decade since the first city-run ferryboat set sail, the system has been working to win over skeptics.
    Julia Press, Bloomberg, 22 May 2026
  • Crofton will be the only living person with a Disney ferryboat named after her.
    Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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