manpower
- 01 C1 Advanced
the total number of people who are available to work on a project or for a company.
the collective human resources or workforce available for a specific task or within a particular economy.
Simple“The company doesn't have enough manpower to finish the construction before winter.”
In context“The rescue operation required significant manpower and specialized equipment to reach the isolated mountain village before nightfall.”
UsageUncountable noun; often used in contexts of planning, military operations, or industrial production.
Teacher's tipIn modern professional settings, many people prefer gender-neutral terms like 'staffing', 'workforce', or 'human resources' instead of 'manpower'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
the physical strength or power of one person.
the power exerted by an individual human being, often used as a unit of comparison to mechanical power.
Simple“In the past, moving these heavy stones required pure manpower and simple tools.”
In context“The historical study compared the efficiency of traditional manpower against the early steam engines used in the mines.”
UsageUsually uncountable; less common in modern English than the workforce sense.
Teacher's tipThis sense is rare outside of historical or technical comparisons between human effort and machine power.
Synonymsphysical strengtheffort
“With Putin showing no sign of abandoning his far-reaching territorial demands, even as Russia’s summer offensive stalls, the Kremlin faces a growing manpower headache.”
From man + power.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.