Meaning & use
be your own man
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
to act according to your own beliefs and decisions rather than being controlled by other people
Grammar: Used as an infinitive phrase after be; the possessive adjective changes with the subject: She is her own woman.
Patterns
- be your own man
- be his own man
- be her own woman
He refused to follow the crowd and always tried to be his own man.
After years of trying to please everyone, she finally learned to be her own woman.
If you want to be your own man, you have to make your own choices.
Common combinations
- be your own man
- He left the family business to be his own man.
- be her own woman
- She is her own woman and makes her own decisions.
- learn to be your own man
- It took him years to learn to be his own man.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be independent
- Focuses on not needing help from others; 'be your own man' emphasizes not being controlled by others.
- stand on your own two feet
- Means to be financially and emotionally independent; 'be your own man' is more about personal identity and beliefs.
Practice
After he left home, he wanted to ___.
Choose one answer.
The phrase needs a possessive adjective that matches the subject: 'he' takes 'his'. 'Be your own man' would be used when speaking to someone directly, and 'be own man' is missing the possessive.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “be your own man”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.