man down
B2 informal intransitive
In simple words
Someone on our team is hurt or can't work — we're one person short.
Literal meaning: A man (person) has fallen down, i.e., been incapacitated.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
neutral
(Military/emergency) An alert that a person has been injured or is unable to continue.
"Man down! We need a medic over here immediately."
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
(Informal) Used to describe a team or group that is short of members due to someone being absent or ill.
"We're man down today — Priya's home sick, so everyone will need to cover extra."
Usage notes
Originally military. Now widely used in sports, workplaces, and casual speech to describe a team being short-handed due to illness, injury, or absence. Often used humorously.
Commonly used with
team squad soldier player sick injured
Forms
Base
man down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
mans down
he/she/it
Past simple
maned down
yesterday
Past participle
maned down
have + pp
-ing form
maning down
continuous
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Synonyms
short-handed a player down understaffed one down
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