as in boxer
one that engages in the sport of fighting with the fists a pugilist with the trademark of the boxing ring: a nose that showed signs of having been broken on more than one occasion

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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 pugilist He was swept up in the swirl of decade-defining events surrounding Muhammad Ali as well as Joe Frazier and other high-wattage pugilists of the 1970s. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 22 Mar. 2025 Eriksen can be a skilled on-ball creator but is more poet than pugilist when competing for loose balls. Carl Anka, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025 The 6-1 fighter is not your typical young pugilist. Tony Paige, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025 The true-life sports biopic unleashes Leo as Alice, the loud, over-the-top matriarch of a large Boston family and manager mom to Micky Ward, a championship boxing contender trained by his drug-addict pugilist half-brother Dicky. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugilist
Noun
  • Despite featuring Will Smith playing the most famous boxer of all time and opening over the lucrative Christmas holiday weekend, Ali barely topped $10 million in its opening weekend.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Alibay once trained as a boxer Athleticism runs in the family.
    Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said Europe needed a better solution than fighter jets to deter Russia.
    Todd Symons, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The Smashing Machine may not have been a box office knockout, but Dwayne Johnson‘s turn as UFC fighter Mark Kerr has a big admirer in Christopher Nolan.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugilist. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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