burly

adjective

bur·​ly ˈbər-lē How to pronounce burly (audio)
burlier; burliest
Synonyms of burlynext
: strongly and heavily built : husky
a burly man
burlily adverb
burliness noun

Examples of burly in a Sentence

a burly delivery man brought the furniture
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.
Topoak complements the burly shell construction with aluminum honeycomb floor panels and a tent body made from 300gsm poly-cotton blackout canvas designed to reflect UV rays and keep the interior cooler in hot weather. New Atlas, 13 Dec. 2025 With its burly, physical offensive line controlling the trenches, River Falls ran 51 times for 188 yards. Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025 The footage revealed a burly bear regularly walking past his house and the camera. Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025 Home video footage of a boisterous wedding party defies the atmosphere of stasis and decay; a shot of several burly men awkwardly steering coffin down a tight stairwell plays back into it. Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for burly

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of burly was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burly. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

burly

adjective
bur·​ly ˈbər-lē How to pronounce burly (audio)
burlier; burliest
: strongly and heavily built
a burly man
burliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on burly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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