as in doctor
a person specially trained in healing human medical disorders
a real old-timer who remembers when you could expect a sawbones to make a house call
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Recent Examples of sawbones
Under the Knife 2 continues the story of Dr. Derek Stiles, the brilliant young sawbones from the original game.
—
Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sawbones
Noun
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But former employees of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates medical devices, say there’s no guarantee that the devices developed with doctor input are any safer than others.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Nov. 2025
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Waiting a month to see a doctor isn't necessarily a bad thing, since most pregnancies will go on to be healthy.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Wisconsin Medical Society argued the change could cause confusion for patients, as PAs are not physicians.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The move is being welcomed by some advocates, physicians and scientists.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sawbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sawbones. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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