Meanings
nounman-of-war bird (plural man-of-war birds)
plural man-of-war birds
- Any of various (especially predatory) seabirds, especially a frigatebird or the Arctic skua.First known use 18th c.
[A]s I saw the same again in the morning, and some men of war birds, I was led to believe we were not far from land.
1790, William Bligh, A Narrative of the Mutiny
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlong-billed warm-water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail
Similar
Broader
pelecaniform seabird
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
man-of-war bird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-of-war%20bird
MLA
“man-of-war bird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-of-war%20bird. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “man-of-war bird,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-of-war%20bird.
Source: man-of-war bird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.