man-of-war
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈmæn əv ˈwɔr/
- Archaic
:
navío de guerra
- In the distance, a man-of-war is slowly steaming out of the harbor on its way to the lower coast to overawe the Portuguese making futile protests against English domination in the neighborhood of Delagoa Bay.
- a British man-of-war
- a great man-of-war
Examples
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The harbor is navigable for the largest merchant vessels and men-of-war in existence, and is perfectly sheltered and easy of access.
Blog text (22) -
In Billy Budd, an ingenuous young sailor aboard a British man-of-war must be hanged when he strikes and kills an officer who has brought false witness against him.
Academic text (1993) -
And you know what, son, the great man finished the game before sailing into the channel aboard his man-of-war to vanquish the enemy.
-
Nelson's ship, and much of the battle, was saved by the second man-of-war on the line, the Temeraire.
Academic text (1995) -
The large men-of-war, with their three major tiers of guns, were beautiful, terrible (in the old sense of inspiring terror), and awesome fighting machines.
Academic text (1995) -
But these "hearts of oak" (the favored patriotic name for the great men-of-war) fell victim to their own success.
Academic text (1995) -
The great man-of-war, ghostly white, still bears its three masts proudly, with light rigging in place and sails furled on the yards.
Academic text (1995) -
Another French ship, the Fougueux, then attacked the Temeraire, but the British man-of-war fired her starboard broadside, to equally good effect, and secured her second prize, lashed this time to her starboard side.
Academic text (1995) -
The British man-of-war was instrumental in securing naval dominance during the early 19th century.
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During the battle, the enemy's man-of-war unleashed a barrage of cannon fire on our fleet.
Synonyms
140
3.6
A navy boat built for fighting at sea
1
9.9
A large warship that fights in the main line of ships in sea battles from the 1600s to the 1800s
1
5.3
A navy ship built to fight at sea
A large armed ship that uses sails and carries heavy guns before the mid 1800s
A ship a government uses for fighting at sea
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word man-of-war comes from the simple idea of a man of war—a ship made for battle, like a floating soldier. So a man-of-war is a powerful warship.