Illustration of Portuguese man-of-war
- Portuguese man-of-war
Portuguese man-of-war
noun
plural Portuguese man-of-wars also Portuguese men-of-war
: any of a genus (Physalia of the family Physaliidae) of large, tropical and subtropical, pelagic, siphonophore hydrozoans having a crested bladderlike float which bears the colony comprised of three types of zooids on the lower surface with one of the three having nematocyst-equipped tentacles
Examples of Portuguese man-of-war in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What to know about the seafarers The blobs are not jellyfish but colonies of polyps similar to the Portuguese man-of-war, according to JellyWatch.
—
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Though interesting to look at, the Portuguese man-of-war’s venom can be deadly to small fish and painful to humans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
Box jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war, lion’s mane and sea nettle are among highly venomous jellyfish species whose stings require immediate medical attention, per UF Health.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Blue dragons, known scientifically as Glaucus atlanticus, sail on the surface of the ocean feeding on toxins from the Portuguese man-of-war and other jellyfish-like organisms.
—Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2024
Nyad was blown off course and contented with shoulder pain, asthma and stings from jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
Saving Desert Tortoises from Extinction To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
In July, village lifeguards used five-gallon buckets to collect Portuguese man-of-wars that had washed up on the sand.
—Emma Allen, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
Three of us went to East to take down my camp and had to wade through water packed with floating Portuguese man-of-wars to load the boat.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2023
The animal eats creatures like the venomous Portuguese man-of-war and stores its prey’s stinging cells, called cnidocytes, in sacs, Hicks said.
—Megan Marples, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022
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Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Though interesting to look at, the Portuguese man-of-war’s venom can be deadly to small fish and painful to humans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
Box jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war, lion’s mane and sea nettle are among highly venomous jellyfish species whose stings require immediate medical attention, per UF Health.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Blue dragons, known scientifically as Glaucus atlanticus, sail on the surface of the ocean feeding on toxins from the Portuguese man-of-war and other jellyfish-like organisms.
—Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2024
Nyad was blown off course and contented with shoulder pain, asthma and stings from jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
Saving Desert Tortoises from Extinction To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
In July, village lifeguards used five-gallon buckets to collect Portuguese man-of-wars that had washed up on the sand.
—Emma Allen, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
Three of us went to East to take down my camp and had to wade through water packed with floating Portuguese man-of-wars to load the boat.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2023
The animal eats creatures like the venomous Portuguese man-of-war and stores its prey’s stinging cells, called cnidocytes, in sacs, Hicks said.
—Megan Marples, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Portuguese man-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Portuguese%20man-of-war. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Portuguese man-of-war
noun
Por·tu·guese man-of-war
ˌpȯr-chə-ˌgēz-ˌman-əv-ˈwȯr 
plural Portuguese man-of-wars
-ˈwȯrz
also Portuguese men-of-war
-ˌmen-əv-ˈwȯr
also Portuguese men-of-war
-ˌmen-əv-ˈwȯr
: any siphonophore of the genus Physalia including large tropical and subtropical oceanic forms having a crested bladderlike float which bears a colony comprised of three types of zooids on the lower surface with one of the three having stinging tentacles
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