# manpower

/ˈmænˌpaʊɝ/ (US) · /mˈænpaʊɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/manpower
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. available workers

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the total number of people who are available to work on a project or for a company.

For teachers: the collective human resources or workforce available for a specific task or within a particular economy.

- The company doesn't have enough manpower to finish the construction before winter.
- The rescue operation required significant manpower and specialized equipment to reach the isolated mountain village before nightfall.

Usage: Uncountable noun; often used in contexts of planning, military operations, or industrial production.

Teaching tip: In modern professional settings, many people prefer gender-neutral terms like 'staffing', 'workforce', or 'human resources' instead of 'manpower'.

### 2. physical power of a person

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the physical strength or power of one person.

For teachers: the power exerted by an individual human being, often used as a unit of comparison to mechanical power.

- In the past, moving these heavy stones required pure manpower and simple tools.
- The historical study compared the efficiency of traditional manpower against the early steam engines used in the mines.

Usage: Usually uncountable; less common in modern English than the workforce sense.

Teaching tip: This sense is rare outside of historical or technical comparisons between human effort and machine power.

## Examples

- The factory needs more manpower to meet the holiday demand.
- The rescue operation was delayed because they lacked the manpower to search the entire forest before nightfall.
- While technological advancements have automated many processes, the construction of the new bridge still requires significant manual manpower to handle the intricate structural assembly.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.