pugilist

noun

pu·​gi·​list ˈpyü-jə-list How to pronounce pugilist (audio)
: fighter
especially : a professional boxer

Examples of pugilist in a Sentence

a pugilist with the trademark of the boxing ring: a nose that showed signs of having been broken on more than one occasion
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even Kamala Harris, maybe especially Harris, fits that insider image, and certainly Gavin Newsom, despite zigzagging from centrist to pugilist, can’t forward his presidential ambitions as anything but old-guard. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025 Bernthal, with his handsome pugilist’s profile, plays Braxton’s emotions explosively close to the surface. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Eriksen can be a skilled on-ball creator but is more poet than pugilist when competing for loose balls. Carl Anka, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025 The 6-1 fighter is not your typical young pugilist. Tony Paige, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pugilist

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1740, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pugilist was circa 1740

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pugilist. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

pugilist

noun
pu·​gi·​list ˈpyü-jə-ləst How to pronounce pugilist (audio)
pugilistic
ˌpyü-jə-ˈlis-tik
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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