MAN-OF-WAR Meaning of MAN-OF-WAR in English (also man-o'-war ) ■ noun ( plural men-of-war or men-o'-war ) 1》 historical an armed sailing ship. 2》 another term for frigate bird . 3》 short for Portuguese ~ . Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004