manned

manned — adjective

1. describes a vehicle that carries a human operator or team who controls or guides

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a vehicle that carries a human operator or team who controls or guides its movement — such as an aircraft, spacecraft, submarine, or balloon with a pilot or crew aboard.

Example

Gabriel studied the design of the first manned mission to land on the Moon.

manned + mission — a spacecraft carrying people

Hyun's company is developing a manned submarine for exploring deep ocean caves.

Common collocations
  • manned spacecraft
  • manned helicopter
  • manned submarine
  • manned balloon
  • manned flight
Synonyms
  • crewed

    gender-neutral alternative, now common in official space-agency language

  • piloted

    specifically refers to a vehicle with a pilot controlling it

Antonyms
  • unmanned

    the direct opposite — no people on board

Grammar Patterns

manned + noun (spacecraft / vehicle / mission)

Usage Note

Some writers now prefer 'crewed' or 'piloted' because 'manned' may imply a male-only role. This sense is attributive only — you say 'a manned spacecraft', not 'the spacecraft is manned' (the latter follows the verb sense of 'man').

Common Mistakes

The manned flew to the Moon.
The manned spacecraft flew to the Moon.
'manned' is an adjective and must be followed by a noun.
The capsule is very manned.
The capsule is manned by a crew of three.
'manned' is not a gradable adjective; use the verb form to describe how many people operate it.

2. relating to a space programme or mission that transports people rather than only

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to a space programme or mission that transports people rather than only equipment or cargo — describing the type of journey or activity, not the vehicle itself.

Example

Nikhil wrote his school report on the history of manned space exploration.

manned + space exploration — the human-crewed type

Romi dreams of joining a manned expedition to the International Space Station.

Common collocations
  • manned spaceflight
  • manned mission
  • manned programme
  • manned expedition
Synonyms
  • human

    as in 'human spaceflight' — preferred in formal government and agency writing

  • crewed

    increasingly replaces 'manned' in official space-programme documents

Antonyms
  • robotic

    used for missions that send probes or rovers instead of people

  • uncrewed

    neutral opposite — a mission with no human crew

Grammar Patterns

manned + noun (exploration / mission / programme / expedition)

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively before abstract nouns like 'exploration', 'programme', 'mission', or 'journey'. Do not use this sense to describe the vehicle itself — use sense 1 instead.

Common Mistakes

The rocket was a manned.
The rocket carried out a manned mission.
'manned' is an adjective and needs a noun after it.

3. describes a place or facility where one or more employees are physically present

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a place or facility where one or more employees are physically present to do a job — for example, a ticket booth, border crossing, petrol station, or reception desk with staff on duty rather than being fully automated.

Example

Christopher waited at the manned ticket booth while the machines were broken.

manned + facility type — a booth with a person working inside

Pim prefers the manned parking garage because security guards work all night.

Common collocations
  • manned gate
  • manned booth
  • manned checkpoint
  • manned garage
  • manned desk
Synonyms
  • staffed

    preferred in modern English for workplaces and services; gender-neutral

  • attended

    emphasises that someone is present to serve or help customers

Antonyms
  • automated

    operated by machines or computers instead of people

  • unattended

    no staff present at the facility

Grammar Patterns

manned + noun (booth / gate / garage / checkpoint / desk)

be + manned

Usage Note

Frequently appears on signs and in service descriptions to indicate that a real person is available to help. Can be used both before a noun ('a manned gate') and after 'be' ('the gate is manned all day').

Common Mistakes

The booth was manned of two officers.
The booth was manned by two officers.
use 'by' (not 'of') to introduce the agent after the passive verb form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For vehicles carrying people, 'manned' is the traditional term but is increasingly replaced by 'crewed' to avoid the gender-specific implication that only men operate the vehicle. 'Piloted' is narrower — it refers specifically to vehicles where a pilot sits at the controls, such as an aircraft or spacecraft, but not a submarine or balloon. 'Unmanned' is the direct opposite, used for vehicles with no people on board, such as drones or rovers. In modern technical writing, space agencies often use 'crewed' for missions and 'uncrewed' for robotic probes, while aviation still uses 'piloted' for aircraft with a human at the controls.

manned ↗crewedpilotedunmanned ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • manned by a crew
  • manned around the clock

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Manned' originated as the past participle of the verb 'man', which comes from the Old English noun 'mann' meaning 'human being' or 'person'. Since the 15th century, the verb 'to man' has meant 'to supply with people for operation or defence'. The adjective use describing a vehicle or facility as 'having people inside or on duty' developed in the 19th and 20th centuries alongside the rise of crewed transport and security checkpoints.