variants
also man-o'-war
as in steamer
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Recent Examples of man-of-war
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
The average man-of-war was estimated by a leading shipwright to last only fourteen years.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
In May, the old East Indiaman finally emerged from the Deptford Dockyard as a man-of-war.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
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
The average man-of-war was estimated by a leading shipwright to last only fourteen years.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
In May, the old East Indiaman finally emerged from the Deptford Dockyard as a man-of-war.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for man-of-war
Noun
-
Fortunately, clothes steamers take up less space and (usually) require less laborious work to achieve wrinkle-free results.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 June 2025
-
Unlike a steamer, Bounce’s spray is tiny enough to go inside your toiletry bag, which saves so much room in your carry-on.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The presence of the aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships gives Trump the option of a third carrier group in the Middle East if needed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 June 2025
-
Tokyo is converting warships into aircraft carriers capable of deploying stealth fighter jets, while Seoul has outlined plans to build a vessel equipped with dozens of drones.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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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
-
Many arrived aboard elegant steamships, but the number of guests increased once regional railroads built tracks north to Mackinaw City in the early 1880s.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 June 2025
-
Moulton spent five weeks traveling by steamship, train and stagecoach to Santa Ana, arriving on May 6, 1874.—
Penny E Schwartz,
Oc Register,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Until this factory is up and running, SpaceX plans to transport Starships and Super Heavy boosters horizontally via barges from South Texas to Cape Canaveral.—
Stephen Clark – Jun 9,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2025
-
Elliot said the crane will be removed by an even larger crane perched atop a barge.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Noun
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May 9 marks the anniversary of when part of the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed into Tampa Bay after it was struck by a freighter during a storm.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
-
After learning of the loss of the iron ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior and the deaths of all 29 crew members from Newsweek, Gord lifted passages from the article and put them to a dreamy dirge: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The planes, accompanied by refueling tankers, may be on their way to a base in Guam, according to the report.—
Sara Braun,
Fortune,
21 June 2025
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One air tanker made a retardant drop at the beginning of the incident, which slowed the spread and helped ground resources contain the fire's growth.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
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The alternative would have been a full scrapping, which is what befell another Staten Island ferryboat, the Andrew J. Barberi.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
10 May 2025
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As a teenager, Ellen Dare Burling had an unusual summer job: Jumping off a moving ferryboat onto wooden piers, her arms filled with letters and packages destined for summer residents in their southern Wisconsin lake houses.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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