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
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
-
At 638-feet long, the ship delivered limestone and was considered the most updated and the largest steamer on the Great Lakes at the time, according to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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Watch this video for 3 ways to use a steamer to clean your home.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 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
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The warship’s presence around the UK will also contribute to wider maritime security operations.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Smith made history as the first Black Commanding Officer of a Canadian warship in 2014 and the first Black commanding officer of the unit in 2021.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The steamship was capable of carrying over 1,100 passengers and crew.—
Raul A. Reyes,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
-
By the late 1800s, with railroads, threshing machines, large slaughterhouses and steamships with refrigeration, Argentina exported vast quantities of wheat and beef to England.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Lookouts on boats Days after the accident, civil maritime attorneys weighed in and explained that the crash could be the result of the barge not having a proper lookout.—
David Goodhue
October 31,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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But efforts to drag the barge to the site via helicopter failed, with the icebreaker getting stuck in ice and mud.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The exact cause of the large freighter’s demise during the storm remains a mystery.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Theories range from the Edmund Fitzgerald striking a shoal and suffering bottom damage to flooding through the freighter's hatch covers, which filled the ship with water and sank it, to rogue waves, to structural flaws in the ship that the 1975 storm made deadly.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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What’s happening now Fuel is running short in Bamako as militants belonging to a group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslimin (JNIM) cut roads to the capital, attack military patrols and ambush tanker trucks.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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No structural damage was done to the bridge after the fire involving a tanker carrying diesel, said the Ohio Department of Transportation.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The ferryboat was on the go all day long, covering more miles in a day than the barge would cover in a century.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
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One foggy morning this spring, a ferryboat traversed the choppy waters between lower Manhattan and Governors Island.—
Adam Iscoe,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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