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.
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Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sawbones
Noun
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So far, he's picked up and dropped off about ten people, taking them to anything from doctor's appointments to haircuts.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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In simpler language, doctors located the arteries feeding the prostate gland using dye injected into the blood, then partially blocked the blood flow to diminish the prostate.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Viktoria Koskenoja, an emergency medicine physician, knocked on the door then greeted her warmly, pulling up a stool across from her.—
Kate Wells,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
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Salvador Plasencia, a former physician who supplied ketamine to Perry in the weeks leading up to his death was sentenced to serve 30 months — about two and a half years — in prison.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sawbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sawbones. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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