ENGLISH
REFERENCE

men

n.
US //ˈmɛn// UK //mˈɛn// men
  1. 1 humanity (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    all people in the world; the human race.

    humanity or mankind viewed as a collective whole.

    Example

    The old stories say that men have always looked at the stars and wondered.

    Example

    In the philosophical treatises of that era, the term 'men' was frequently employed to encompass the entirety of the human experience.

    Usage

    Often used with a definite article as 'the men' or simply 'men' in older texts.

    Teacher's tip

    This usage is increasingly replaced by gender-neutral terms like 'humanity' or 'people' in modern English.
  2. 2 soldiers (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Military

    the soldiers in an army who are not officers.

    enlisted personnel in a military or paramilitary organisation, distinguished from commissioned officers.

    Example

    The captain ordered his men to set up camp before it got dark.

    Example

    The general insisted on visiting the tents to check on the welfare of his men after the long march.

    Usage

    Commonly appears in the phrase 'officers and men'.
Origin

From Middle English men, from Old English menn (“people”), from Proto-Germanic manniz, nominative plural of Proto-Germanic mann- (“person”). Cognate with German Männer (“men”), Danish mænd (“men”), Swedish män (“men”). More at man.

Word family
Idioms3 entries

© 2026 English Reference