as in boxers
one that engages in the sport of fighting with the fists
a retired pug with battered ears and swollen knuckles
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pugs
Soon my entire feed was pugs and poodles and beagles and portmanteau blends with absurd names like golden doodle and cavapoo.
—
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Breeds with breathing issues — including bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Boston terriers and Persian cats — are also more susceptible to heat illness, state health officials said.
—Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
Sleepy pugs and a return Rinker’s family stayed in a Huntington Beach hotel room with one bed.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Dog breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs now have significantly altered skull shapes that result in serious, and even life-threatening, issues created by our value of aesthetics.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
This frenzy unfolded into a succession of rings, like craps tables at a casino, in which breed competitions were taking place simultaneously—churning packs of basenjis, salukis, Xoloitzcuintlis, whippets, shih tzus, rat terriers, malamutes, and pugs.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The team then compared the 14 breeds to pugs, French bulldogs, and bulldogs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Airport arrivals involved a motorcade, with a luggage van, a car for the pugs, and butlers, who escorted the dogs onto the waiting private jets.
—Matt Tyrnauer, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Valentino and his longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti flitted among their homes — which also included places in New York, London, Rome, Capri and Gstaad, Switzerland — traveling with their pack of pugs.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Breeds with breathing issues — including bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Boston terriers and Persian cats — are also more susceptible to heat illness, state health officials said.
—Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
Sleepy pugs and a return Rinker’s family stayed in a Huntington Beach hotel room with one bed.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Dog breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs now have significantly altered skull shapes that result in serious, and even life-threatening, issues created by our value of aesthetics.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
This frenzy unfolded into a succession of rings, like craps tables at a casino, in which breed competitions were taking place simultaneously—churning packs of basenjis, salukis, Xoloitzcuintlis, whippets, shih tzus, rat terriers, malamutes, and pugs.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The team then compared the 14 breeds to pugs, French bulldogs, and bulldogs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Airport arrivals involved a motorcade, with a luggage van, a car for the pugs, and butlers, who escorted the dogs onto the waiting private jets.
—Matt Tyrnauer, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Valentino and his longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti flitted among their homes — which also included places in New York, London, Rome, Capri and Gstaad, Switzerland — traveling with their pack of pugs.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pugs
Noun
-
Roberto Duran, the Central American nation’s most famous son, is one of the greatest boxers in history.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Klitschko and his brother Vitali are both heavyweight world-champion boxers and heroes in their native Ukraine.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
These modern-day gladiators like to unwind by swapping Pikachus for Charmanders.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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The find also suggests female beast hunters persisted for several decades longer than female gladiators who fought other people, Manas says.—
Taylor Mitchell Brown,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Federal agents training alongside UFC fighters, a title contender working out inside FBI headquarters and a UFC event on White House grounds would have sounded like satire just a few years ago.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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As violent as these bouts get, fighters agree to honor the rules, even mid-pummeling.—
Bhumika Tharoor,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pugs. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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