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
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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
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
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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
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Alibay once trained as a boxer Athleticism runs in the family.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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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