bruiser
[broo-zer]
- a strong, tough person: The football player was over six feet tall and weighed 285 pounds—a real bruiser.
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Origin of bruiser
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
thugroughhooliganprizefighterwarriorchampionmercenaryassailantmilitantsoldierboxercombatantopponenttankerwarlordcrookracketeerbanditmobsterhoodlumExamples from the Web for bruiser
Contemporary Examples
He is tough, a Scottish bruiser when it comes to a knuckle fight.
Historical Examples
You will find her serviceable; she's a bruiser's lass and something above it.
The Amazing Marriage, CompleteGeorge Meredith
Expert electrician, mechanic, sport spoiler and bruiser, eh?
Radio Boys LoyaltyWayne Whipple
That smile was enough to infuriate the bruiser beyond description.
Frank Merriwell's TriumphBurt L. Standish
The man declared that he was not a bruiser, and refused to stir.
The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, Volumes One and TwoHarriette Wilson
"I reckon as 'ow 'e's a bit of a bruiser," was the not unexpected reply.
Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S.Percy F. Westerman
bruiser
- informal a strong tough person, esp a boxer or a bully
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bruiser
n.
"a pugilist," 1744, agent noun from bruise (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper