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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Other clients on its books include Love Island contestants Laura Anderson and Liberty Pool, TikTok dance stars The Gardiner Brothers, and Kieron Conway, a Commonwealth champion boxer signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
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Akin to two boxers with weak chins slugging it out, Villa wanted to land another blow.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Thrilla in Manila between the two fighters stands as a testament to each of their enduring legacies of perseverance.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
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One of Kerr’s colleagues, Mark Coleman, is played by real-life MMA fighter Ryan Bader, one of several non-professional actors who give The Smashing Machine the pleasing texture of lived-in credibility.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugilist. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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