Dictionary

the man en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Originally from US English.

Meanings

1. (singular, singular-only) The oppressive powers that be, including the government and corporations, as coordinated outside of one's control.
   • Holonym: the System
   • I'm sorry I couldn’t meet you earlier, but I spent all night working for the man.
   • Left a good job in the city / Workin' for the man every night and day 1969, John Fogerty, “Proud Mary”, in Bayou Country, performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival:
   • The man gets you down.
   • […]once people such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk show up to your party, there is no longer anything countercultural about it. You are not rebelling against the man. You are the man. 2023 September 5, Arwa Mahdawi, “Why all the Burning Man schadenfreude? Where do I start ...”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 08 Dec 2023:
   • Is it the man come to take me away? Why do they follow me? 1981, Men at Work, “Who Can It Be Now?”, in Business as Usual:
   • It starts when you're always afraid / Step out of line, the man come and take you away 1966 December, Stephen Stills, “For What It's Worth”performed by Buffalo Springfield:
   • And in between sips of Coke / He told me that he thought we were sellin' out / Layin' down, suckin' up to the man / Well now I've got some / Advice for you, little buddy / Before you point the finger / You should know that I'm the man / I'm the man and you're the man / And he's the man as well 1996, “Hooker with a Penis”, performed by Tool:
   • “Bitch, shut up that noise!” Cowboy hissed hotly from somewhere in the darkness ahead of her. “You wanna bring the man down on me or somethin’? […]” 1968, Nathan C. Heard, Howard Street, New York: The New American Library, pages 22–23:
2. (singular, singular-only) An oppressive or domineering person of authority, usually male; especially, one's boss.
   • Near-synonym: old man
3. (singular, singular-only) The best man for a job; someone with exceptional skills.
   • You're the man now, doll! 2007 March 16, Capcom Production Studio 4, quoting Maya, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, Europe: Capcom, →OCLC, Nintendo DS, scene: Part 3: Investigation, Circus Entrance, level/area: Turnabout Big Top:
   • You’re the man!
   • Buggin' Out: You the man. Mookie: No, you the man. Buggin' Out: No, I'm just a struggling Black man trying to keep my dick hard in a cruel and harsh world. 1989, Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing:
   • [Jake Delhomme] has been “The Man” ever since, leading the Panthers to a remarkable eight come-from-behind wins in what Fox describes as Carolina's “outhouse-to-penthouse” season. 2004 January 31, George Kimball, “Super Bowl XXXVIII: Rags-to-riches story for Carolina Panthers quarter-back Delhomme”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Dec 2025:

Forms

Coordinates

Big Brother · leviathan

Deriveds

stick it to the man

Synonyms

old man

Translations (4)

ru дя́дя (a male authority figure; one's boss) · de der Mann (the best person for the job) · es el hombre (the best person for the job) · sv överhet (the oppressive powers that be)