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
-
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.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
If creases bother you, pack a portable steamer or hang it near a hot shower, Coe suggests.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
At least five San Diego warships will participate in RimPac, as well as dozens of foreign vessels, including BAP Pisco, a Peruvian amphibious warship that arrived in San Diego on Monday.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group had also included the USS San Antonio (LPD-17), lead vessel of the class of amphibious transport docks, with that warship returning to Norfolk last month.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
But Kutepov’s successor at ROVS, General Yevgeny Miller, in 1937 was also kidnapped in Paris and transported to Moscow in the hold of a Soviet steamship before being executed at Lubyanka.—
ANDREI SOLDATOV,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Nov. 2025
-
As the ship’s pilot, Smalls took charge and ordered the crew to light the fires that fueled the steamship.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The recent barge mishaps are symptoms of a supply-chain strategy warped by a century-old law that makes the most efficient vessels unaffordable.—
Colin Grabow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
-
And with just a few commands, Cup of Jo went global, with images of Jo's Coffee Shop on a barge in the middle of the ocean; on a volcano in Hawaii; and in the Alps.—
Jo Ling Kent,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
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
-
Local authorities reported that the tanker was experiencing a fire in its engine room, with the incident unfolding around 21 nautical miles northeast of the city of Sohar.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
And on Thursday, US forces fired missiles into the engine room of a third tanker, the Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer, for attempting to transport Iranian oil.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
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
-
One foggy morning this spring, a ferryboat traversed the choppy waters between lower Manhattan and Governors Island.—
Adam Iscoe,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In one Facebook group, a cruiser argued that companies should be more upfront about the full cost of a trip.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Scott Quigley, was allegedly involved in a fatal drunken cruiser crash in 2023.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-of-war. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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