What is "man date"

n. (context colloquial English) A platonic outing by two (typically straight) men, often in settings that would otherwise be reserved for romantic encounters.

Man date is a neologism of the 2000s that is used to describe a social situation where two men spend time together one-on-one. The men may be any mix of heterosexual and homosexual. However, "man date" refers to a platonic social encounter, not sexual implied or actual. The term was first spread by a New York Times article by Jennifer 8. Lee published in 2005, and was the basis for the 2009 film I Love You, Man.

As The New York Times article defined:

Along with metrosexual and bromance, the term is part of a growing set of neologisms that address modern-day masculinity.