to man
- verb
- /mæn/
- The street's been temporarily closed to traffic, and Secret Service agents man the sidewalk.
- man the table
And they're just hunkered down holding this, manning this damn post, right?
- And they're just hunkered down holding this, manning this damn post, right?
Examples
-
After minor haggling with the agent manning the security desk, Thorn had been issued a blue hard hat.
Fiction book (1996) -
We are also grateful to those dedicated volunteers manning the PSA sales table and registration table.
Academic text (2002) -
The captain immediately sent two men to man the blast cannon.
Fiction book (1993) -
We also welcome help from Nature Division people who could spend an hour or two manning the table.
Academic text (2001) -
A soldier manning a tank told the people to stay so he could hold his fire.
Academic text (2006) -
Many parks employ barely enough people to man the main entrance, let alone effectively patrol the boundaries.
Academic text (2011) -
Some army bandsmen were brought in to man the ambulances for emergencies.
Academic text (1995) -
The Spartans themselves manned the extreme right flank.
-
DJ Dusk, the teen prodigy from Queens, mans his turntables from a riser above the dance floor.
Fiction book (2002) -
They need more staff to man the customer service center during the busy season.
Idioms
- Informal
Each person must look after themselves in a dangerous or confusing situation
- Offensive
A joking phrase people use after 'I see' to show they do not believe someone
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A performer who plays a serious role in a comedy to make the other person's jokes funnier
A person who has skill and knowledge in many different areas like art and science
- Offensive
An older man who makes sexual comments or touches younger people when they do not want him to
- US
A man who lives in the mountains or other wild places and can hunt and survive
A man who has a lot of life experience and is comfortable in many social situations
- Offensive
A person who always agrees with someone in charge to get approval or avoid trouble
- Literature
A shape people imagine on the moon's surface that looks like a face
How Staffed
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb man comes from the noun: to man something is to put people there to do the job or to watch it. That's why to man a desk or station means to provide the people needed to run it.