as in athletic
strongly and heavily built
a burly delivery man brought the furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of burly
With 7-foot-1 defensive menace Rudy Gobert at center and the burly Julius Randle at power forward, the Timberwolves love to overwhelm teams with size.
—
Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 3 May 2026
The Houston Texans selected McDonald, the burly 6-foot-3, 326-pound defensive tackle from Ohio State with the fourth pick of the second round.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
The Suns have let those frustrations appear on the court as well, with burly forward Dillon Brooks getting into a heated exchange with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during Wednesday’s game.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
The clip, which isn’t available to the public, begins with Matt Damon’s Odysseus, shirtless on the beach with a burly beard.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burly
Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 3 May 2026
The Houston Texans selected McDonald, the burly 6-foot-3, 326-pound defensive tackle from Ohio State with the fourth pick of the second round.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
The Suns have let those frustrations appear on the court as well, with burly forward Dillon Brooks getting into a heated exchange with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during Wednesday’s game.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
The clip, which isn’t available to the public, begins with Matt Damon’s Odysseus, shirtless on the beach with a burly beard.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burly
Adjective
-
Jason Coughran, a 60-year-old with an athletic build, had set out on a trek last Monday into Desolation Wilderness from nearby Fallen Leaf Lake.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
An athletic, contemporary ballet by Alexandra Schooling (Oklahoma City Ballet, PDX Contemporary Ballet) is accompanied by an original score by Chris Desien.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Chemical thrusters burn fuel fast and generate a powerful, rapid thrust that is key for changing orbit in seconds.—
Omar Kardoudi
June 05,
New Atlas,
5 June 2026
-
There have been numerous conspiracy theories that Epstein was killed because of his connection to wealthy and powerful people.—
Daniel Ruetenik,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The 5-year-old husky mix is a regular at Spot's Place in Regina, Saskatchewan, usually attending Monday through Friday.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In juvenile court Monday, as the teenager with a husky build and beard sat at the defendant’s table, Judge Christopher Van Meir ruled that the teen would remain in custody at least until the next court hearing, scheduled for April 27.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This beefy laptop blurs the line between an elite mobile gaming rig and a local-AI workstation.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
The beefy mill pumped out around 750 hp brand new, according to CarScoops, which was in excess of 500 hp more than that year’s Mustang Cobra road car.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
But my belief is that this is the mighty theme contemporary fiction has largely overlooked.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
The Sooners led 10-8 after four innings and then tamed the mighty Yellow Jackets’ bats.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
He gets reacquainted 15 years later with his Sword of Power along with childhood chum Teela (Camila Mendes), who’s brainier and brawnier than the majority of the guys, and his former Man-at-Arms Duncan (Idris Elba), the former protector of Adam’s family.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Given the dramatic manner in which the hulking piers marched down the center of the institution’s narrow corridor, flanked by the photographer’s three-inch-square Polaroids, hung as if in awed supplication, the effect verged on hyperbole, the gnomic ceding to the grandiose.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Just as the coach embraced Iheanchor, the hulking offensive tackle’s phone rang.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Dartmouth would only score one goal for the remainder of the game, but was able to keep the Bishops at bay with stout defense and excellent goaltending from junior Letty Nelson.—
Zach McMahon,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
-
Without Makar, Colorado struggled in all three zones against the Golden Knights’ stout team defense in the first two games of the series.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burly. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
