man up
Verb
Meaning
(idiomatic) To "be a man about it"; to do the things a man is traditionally expected to do, such as taking responsibility for the consequences of one's actions; displaying bravery or toughness in the face of danger, adversity, or a challenge; providing for one's family, etc. (Compare man (“brace oneself, steel oneself”).)
Synonyms: woman up, person up
I was wondering when he would man up and marry that girl he knocked up.
You need to man up and confront your boss about her behavior.
Hey son, man up, okay? There will be time for tears later.
(military) (Of personnel) to assemble, each person manning (attending to) his station, prepared for the departure of an aircraft, ship, etc. (Compare man (“supply with staff; take up position to operate”).)
(of other personnel) To staff adequately; to staff up; to successfully fill all needed labor positions. (Compare man (“supply with staff”).)
(sports) To vigorously guard the opponent to whom one is assigned.
Source: en.wiktionary.orgSynonyms
Antonyms
Examples
Repentance lifts a man up. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.
The dog has seldom been successful in pulling man up to its level of sagacity, but man has frequently dragged the dog down to his.
If you want to make an audience laugh, you dress a man up like an old lady and push her down the stairs. If you want to make comedy writers laugh, you push an actual old lady down the stairs.
There is no escape - man drags man down, or man lifts man up.
...organizations like the church or General Motors promote a man up and up until he reaches a spot which he is obviously incapable of filling, and there they lay him to rest.
Hunger and cold give a man up to his enemy.