Meanings
verbman the fort (third-person singular simple present mans the fort, present participle manning the fort, simple past and past participle manned the fort)
present singular third person mans the fort · participle present manning the fort · participle past manned the fort · past manned the fort
- idiomaticTo take care of a place or situation in another's absence.
He excused himself from his nephew, ran a comb through his hair, buttoned up a clean shirt, and told his eight-year-old son to man the fort while he was gone.
1995, Richard Price, Sally Price, Enigma variations, page 44
Cite this entry
APA
man the fort. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20the%20fort
MLA
“man the fort.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20the%20fort. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “man the fort,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20the%20fort.
Source: man the fort on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.