gladiator

noun

glad·i·a·tor | \ ˈgla-dē-ˌā-tər

Definition of gladiator

1 : a person engaged in a fight to the death as public entertainment for ancient Romans

2 : a person engaging in a public fight or controversy

3 : a trained fighter especially : a professional boxer

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Examples of gladiator in a Sentence

the two punch-drunk gladiators stumbled to their corners

Recent Examples on the Web

Her crew: five grim gladiators in crash helmets, the new face of the America's Cup. — Luke O'brien, Town & Country, "Hot Pursuit," 1 Sep. 2013 Play off the stark lines of the dress with accessories that are bold in their restraint, like gladiator sandals, slim jewelry and a fuss-free bag devoid of excess design elements. — Nicola Fumo, Harper's BAZAAR, "5 Chic Looks You Can Wear to Work and on the Weekend," 18 Mar. 2019 The bold, knee-high gladiator heels offered in a range of bright colors from vibrant yellow to blue, red and black. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Karl Lagerfeld Brought Ancient Greece to Paris For Chanel's Cruise 2018 Show," 3 May 2017 There’s always that giant family with the 50-person family touch football game that looks like a gladiator movie. 10. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "27 More Rules of Thanksgiving Family Touch Football," 19 Nov. 2018 Costumes were required, and guests including Paris Hilton, Carol and Earle Mack, Vanessa Getty, and Emilia and Pepe Fanjul came as gladiators, muses, and Greek gods. — Marshall Heyman, Town & Country, "The New Breed of Birthday Celebration? Lavish International Parties," 30 Nov. 2018 The entire sphere of college football, from coaches through the media, need to toss aside the tired and frankly embarrassing notion that football is a sport of gladiators, that injuries are a symbol of weakness. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "It's time for college football, NCAA to embrace injury reports with gambling influence rising," 3 July 2018 The towering statue of a gladiator outside is a nod to Spartak being named after the Roman slave rebel Spartacus. — James Ellingworth, BostonGlobe.com, "Here is a look at all 12 World Cup stadiums in Russia," 11 June 2018 Inside the Otkritie Arena, whose primary tenant, Spartak Moscow, is named for the rebellious gladiator, sat Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrímsson. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Magnitude of Iceland's World Cup Debut vs. Argentina Not Lost on Confident Underdog," 15 June 2018

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