variants
also man-o'-war
as in steamer
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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
Its lyrics, about a sailor bidding goodbye to his lover before boarding a man-of-war bound for England, were written not by Mr. Whittaker but by a British silversmith who responded to a radio contest in which Mr. Whittaker invited listeners to send in verses, with the best put to music.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 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
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
Its lyrics, about a sailor bidding goodbye to his lover before boarding a man-of-war bound for England, were written not by Mr. Whittaker but by a British silversmith who responded to a radio contest in which Mr. Whittaker invited listeners to send in verses, with the best put to music.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 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
-
The second worst feeling is realizing your hotel doesn’t have a steamer or iron available.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
30 May 2026
-
Fong's late grandfather was one of eight Chinese passengers who boarded the luxury steamer to cross the Atlantic, of which only six survived, CBS, the BBC and The Chicago Tribune reported.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
These preyed upon American merchantmen who either payed tribute or showed forged British passes.—
Thomas Wendel,
National Review,
4 July 2019
-
The Navy already has ships in the fleet that are former merchantmen.—
Kyle Mizokami,
Popular Mechanics,
10 Jan. 2019
Noun
-
Strategists who’ve studied the issue for the Navy say there’s a case for a warship somewhat larger than current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which displace less than 10,000 tons and carry a little under 100 vertical launch cells for missiles and interceptors.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Russia’s 2022 Warship Law also requires 90 days' advance notice for foreign warships to transit the passage, limits the route to one warship at a time, and requires submarines to surface.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
During this time, circus families blossomed all over Mexico, aided by the appearance of the steamship and railway systems, as the circus historian Julio Revolledo Cárdenas would detail in a 2018 article for the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
For those escaping to Philadelphia from regions nearer to Pennsylvania, clandestine travel by small boat or by road was more likely than stowing away on a steamship.—
Jeremy Mennis,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
During the April mission, the rocket’s first stage booster landed successfully on a seafaring barge, but the upper portion, or second stage, of the rocket didn’t manage to deliver its payload — AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite — to a safe orbit.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
-
Once the new location is open, Hollywood Casino’s parent company Penn Entertainment has an agreement with the city of Aurora to demolish the riverboat location in downtown, including the barge, building and walkway over the Fox River, then turn the land over to the city of Aurora.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Airbus is also developing the A350F freighter, which is expected to complete its first flight later this year.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
The lane with the strongest demand growth, Europe-Asia, also generated the largest incremental freighter contribution, adding more than 409 million CTKs as industrial trade flows between both regions remained resilient.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
About 60,000 gallons of potable water must be brought daily by tanker truck.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
To map this invisible chaos, the reSail team outfitted the Bow Olympus — a chemical tanker operated by Odfjell — with high-frequency LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Crofton will be the only living person with a Disney ferryboat named after her.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
Right now, engineers and craft workers are teaming up to design and build the new ferryboat.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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