gladiator
noun
glad·i·a·tor
ˈgla-dē-ˌā-tər 
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
Examples of gladiator in a Sentence
the two punch-drunk gladiators stumbled to their corners
Recent Examples on the Web
Brandt is best known for playing Mazikeen in the Netflix hit series Lucifer across the show’s six seasons, and Naevia in the Starz gladiator drama Spartacus.
—
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Harvey tapped into the strappy sandals trend with a glossy black version of Amina Muaddi’s Lori style, a stiletto sandal featuring slender crisscrossing straps at the toes and gladiator-style straps wrapping around the ankle.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
In this alternate history, set around six months after the events of War of the Damned, Ashur is rewarded by the Republic for helping crush the slave rebellion and given control of the gladiator school previously owned by Batiatus.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2025
Kardashian then paired the look with strappy, gladiator stiletto heels for her evening out in the city.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gladiator
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Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Harvey tapped into the strappy sandals trend with a glossy black version of Amina Muaddi’s Lori style, a stiletto sandal featuring slender crisscrossing straps at the toes and gladiator-style straps wrapping around the ankle.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025
In this alternate history, set around six months after the events of War of the Damned, Ashur is rewarded by the Republic for helping crush the slave rebellion and given control of the gladiator school previously owned by Batiatus.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2025
Kardashian then paired the look with strappy, gladiator stiletto heels for her evening out in the city.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gladiator
Cite this Entry
“Gladiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gladiator. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gladiator
noun
glad·i·a·tor
ˈglad-ē-ˌāt-ər
1
: a person engaged in a fight to the death for public entertainment in ancient Rome
2
: a person engaging in a fierce fight or controversy
Etymology
from Latin gladiator, literally, "swordsman," from gladius "sword" — related to gladiolus
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