Portuguese man-of-war

noun

plural Portuguese man-of-wars also Portuguese men-of-war

: any of a genus (Physalia of the family Physaliidae) of large, tropical and subtropical, pelagic, siphonophore hydrozoans having a crested bladderlike float which bears the colony comprised of three types of zooids on the lower surface with one of the three having nematocyst-equipped tentacles

Illustration of Portuguese man-of-war

• Portuguese man-of-war

Examples of Portuguese man-of-war in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What is a Portuguese man-of-war? — Caroline Wilburn, Houston Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026

Here, a Portuguese man-of-war was responsible for Cox’s wounds. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2026

Waking to the Tao surrounded by the pink poisonous sails of Portuguese man-of-wars as far as the eye could see. — Stephen Colbert, Outside Online, 5 Apr. 2011

Students from Tohoku University have discovered a brand-new species of the venomous Portuguese man-of-war. — Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Portuguese man-of-war

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

Kids Definition

Portuguese man-of-war

noun

plural Portuguese man-of-wars also Portuguese men-of-war

: any of several large colonial invertebrate animals that are hydrozoans and float on the surface of the sea by means of a large gas-filled structure like a bag and have long tentacles capable of delivering a painful sting

Medical Definition

Portuguese man-of-war

noun

Por·​tu·​guese man-of-war ˌpȯr-chə-ˌgēz-ˌman-əv-ˈwȯr 

plural Portuguese man-of-wars -ˈwȯrz  also Portuguese men-of-war -ˌmen-əv-ˈwȯr 

: any siphonophore of the genus Physalia including large tropical and subtropical oceanic forms having a crested bladderlike float which bears a colony comprised of three types of zooids on the lower surface with one of the three having stinging tentacles