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mano a mano

Portuguese, noun/ˈmɐ̃.nu a ˈmɐ̃.nu/

mano a mano is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “mano a mano (a head-on conflict or direct competition)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

What does mano a mano mean in English?

noun

  1. 1

    masculinemano a mano (a head-on conflict or direct competition)

adverb

  1. 1

    mano a mano, on equal terms (by means of a head-to-head competition)

    Fernando Tordo (1973), “Tourada”, (in Portuguese): “Toureamos ombro a ombro as feras

Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How Portuguese dictionaries define it

phrase: 1. como amigos; intimamente, de mano a mano, mão por mão 2. de igual para igual; equilibradamente, pau a pau, mão por mão 3. um contra um; mão por mão

phrase: 1. disputa de um contra um

The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.

Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

How do you pronounce mano a mano?

  • Brazil /ˈmɐ̃.nu a ˈmɐ̃.nu/
  • Portugal /ˈmɐ.nu ɐ ˈmɐ.nu/

Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.