manspreading
/ˈmænˌspɹɛdɪŋ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.44 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The practice of men splaying their legs open wide when sitting on public transport, thus occupying more than one seat.
Derogatory; Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The new ads — aimed at curbing rude behavior like manspreading and wearing large backpacks on crowded trains — are set to go up in the subways next month."
- "Manspreading is certainly bad manners in a crowded subway – and so is other stuff, like people wielding giant backpacks."
- "Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram show thousands pictures of men engaging in this behaviour, and New York's transit authority launched a campaign against ‘manspreading’, with a Tumblr dedicated: Men Taking Up Too Much Space On The Train."
- "Manspreading creates stability for your pelvis and lower back. You can either position your feet together and let your knees fall to the sides or spread your feet wide."
Etymology
From man + spreading. Popularized in 2014, perhaps patterned after mansplaining. Equal to manspread + -ing.
Word Breakdown
Usage
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
man-sitting