featherweight

noun feath·er·weight \ ˈfe-t͟hər-ˌwāt \

Updated on: 3 Apr 2018

Definition of featherweight

1 : one that is very light in weight; especially : a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 126 pounds for professionals and 125 pounds for amateurs — compare bantamweight, lightweight

2 : lightweight 2

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featherweight

adjective

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Recent Examples of featherweight from the Web

The main event Josh Emmett and Jeremy Stephens may not have the star power of previous Amway Center main eventers like Rafael Dos Anjos or Fabricio Werdum, but both featherweights have a history of crowd-pleasing fights.

— jay reddick, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UFC returns to Orlando: Five things to watch," 24 Feb. 2018
Other San Antonio fighters scheduled to appear on the undercard include super flyweight Robert Rodriguez in his pro debut, along with super featherweights Joseph Rodriguez and Xavier Wilson in separate bouts.

— john whisler, San Antonio Express-News, "Barrios eyeing breakout performance on Freeman Coliseum card," 2 Mar. 2018
Stevenson, a 20-year-old southpaw featherweight from Newark, N.J., outlanded Mendoza 52-4, landing combinations and body shots at will before referee Sparkle Lee stopped it at 1:38 of the second.

— bob velin, USA TODAY, "Vasyl Lomachenko retains title as Guillermo Rigondeaux quits on his stool after 6th round," 9 Dec. 2017
This dedicated electric vehicle maximizes the potential of its electric motor and battery pack with a compact featherweight body shell of carbon fiber – borrowed from racing, yet stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "BMW’s urban vehicle, i3, offers all-electric driving | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 28 Oct. 2017
Lomachenko already has won titles as a featherweight and junior lightweight.

— by santos a. perez, miamiherald, "Miami resident Guillermo Rigondeaux already is in most top 10 pound-for-pound lists," 2 Oct. 2017
Sugar Ramos, a Cuban featherweight boxing champion whose fists led to two ring deaths — one inspiring a Bob Dylan song — died Sept. 3 in Mexico City.

— tim dahlberg, Washington Post, "Sugar Ramos, featherweight boxing champion in the 1960s, dies at 75," 10 Sep. 2017
Sugar Ramos was a Cuban featherweight champion whose fists led to two deaths in the ring.

— kansascity, "Final Chapters: Walter Becker, Don Williams, Kate Millett, Troy Gentry," 9 Sep. 2017
Sugar Ramos, a Cuban featherweight boxing champion who was best known for winning a title fight that led to the death of his opponent, Davey Moore, and that prompted calls to abolish the sport, died on Sunday in Mexico City.

— richard sandomir, New York Times, "Sugar Ramos, 75, Boxer Remembered for a Fatal Fight, Dies," 6 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'featherweight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of featherweight

1812

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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FEATHERWEIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

featherweight

noun

Definition of featherweight for English Language Learners

: someone or something that weighs very little; especially : a boxer who weighs more than 118 pounds (53.5 kilograms) but less than 126 pounds (57 kilograms)