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
Bernthal, with his handsome pugilist’s profile, plays Braxton’s emotions explosively close to the surface.
—
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pugilist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugilist
Noun
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Butler’s style resembled that of patient boxer Floyd Mayweather far more than lightning-quick Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda, both of whom were courtside.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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Kim's dog Rocky When Kim was dating football player Reggie Bush, the two got a boxer dog named Rocky in 2010.—
Sydni Ellis,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ever the fighter, Cuomo refused to drop out of the mayoral race after losing the primary, electing to run as a third party candidate in the hopes of rallying support from voters who saw Mamdani as too untested and too far left to govern effectively.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Our assignment everywhere is to send the strongest fighters for the working class wherever possible.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pugilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugilist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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