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
-
Use a garment steamer for easier wrinkle-removal.
-
For Feeling Put-together After a Flight Nothing pulls a travel outfit together faster than wrinkle-free clothes, and this compact steamer makes the process surprisingly painless.
Noun
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These preyed upon American merchantmen who either payed tribute or showed forged British passes.
-
The Navy already has ships in the fleet that are former merchantmen.
Noun
-
Though Kim stressed the new warship was a completely domestic product, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the pace of shipbuilding could indicate otherwise.
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And this may be just the start for Kim, who will soon also commission the Kang Kon warship that capsized during launch last May.
Noun
-
The original Dow index from 1884 had 11 stocks in it, and nine of them were railroads (the other two were a steamship company and Western Union).
-
On summer breaks from university, Gilmore also worked at the port, painting buildings, shoveling coal on a steamship and crewing on harbor boats.
Noun
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The dredge is conducted by crane and excavator barges that dig sand up and deposit it in another barge.
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The organization also noted that the barge carrying the fireworks was around two miles from Jackie and Shadow’s nest and that the show was scheduled to finish in under 30 minutes.
Noun
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Best International Narrative Feature went to Labrador — Autopsy of Silence, directed by Rodrigue Jean, which follows an Inuk mechanic who is suspected of murder on a freighter.
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The 747’s fusion of aeronautical ability and symbolic power earned it many roles beyond passenger liner and freighter.
Noun
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The tanker was laden with more than 2 million barrels of crude oil and sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Commercial shipping at center of tensions Britain's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said June 27 that a tanker reported being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, sustaining damage to its bridge, though all crew members were reported safe.
Noun
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But nearly a decade since the first city-run ferryboat set sail, the system has been working to win over skeptics.
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Crofton will be the only living person with a Disney ferryboat named after her.
Cite this Entry
“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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