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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 22 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
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
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugilist
Noun
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Davidson says, quoting an exchange between Sylvester Stallone's titular boxer and his on-screen trainer, Burgess Meredith's Mickey.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Laila Ali, fellow boxer and another one of Muhammad’s daughters, also shared a tribute post.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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However, no buildup of fighter jets or any permanent deployment ensued.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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This is an unflinching look behind the facade of a fighter, and a role that sees Dwayne Johnson reinvent himself as the ROCKY of a new generation.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugilist. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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