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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Recent Examples of pugilist
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
An odd corps of swampy Washington DC pugilists are ready to engage, likely supplemented by political pressure from shipbuilding companies.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
The 36-year-old Irish martial arts fighter announced his intentions to take on the 29-year-old pugilist Tuesday.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024
The Texas Democrat has quickly emerged as among the most prominent of the Democrats’ young and rising stars, carving out a reputation as a fierce partisan pugilist ready to take on conservatives over some of the hottest topics being debated in the Capitol.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
An odd corps of swampy Washington DC pugilists are ready to engage, likely supplemented by political pressure from shipbuilding companies.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
The 36-year-old Irish martial arts fighter announced his intentions to take on the 29-year-old pugilist Tuesday.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024
The Texas Democrat has quickly emerged as among the most prominent of the Democrats’ young and rising stars, carving out a reputation as a fierce partisan pugilist ready to take on conservatives over some of the hottest topics being debated in the Capitol.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugilist
Noun
-
He, Durant and Iverson were joined in the letter by former boxer Roy Jones Jr., former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant, former NFL star Antonio Brown and former NFL player and prominent cannabis advocate Ricky Williams.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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He was initially slated to receive $40 million for beating the retired boxer.—
TaMaryn Waters,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Noun
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There's no doubt whoever comes out of this liberal rat race will be sent packing when Iowans re-elect America First fighter Mariannette Miller-Meeks next fall.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
-
Paul followed that loss by getting back in the ring with a former UFC fighter in Nate Diaz.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugilist. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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