bruiser

American

[broo-zer] / ˈbru zər /

noun

Informal.

a strong, tough person.

The football player was over six feet tall and weighed 285 pounds—a real bruiser.

bruiser British

/ ˈbruːzə /

noun

informal a strong tough person, esp a boxer or a bully

"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

Etymology

Origin of bruiser

First recorded in 1580–90; bruise + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She is the ultimate bruiser, a prolific trash-talker and a notorious pest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

"I've heard a lot about him," replied the Bok bruiser.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2025

Mr. Prescott also had a reputation as a pugnacious political bruiser.

From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2024

The Chargers are expected to pound the ball with 238-pound bruiser Gus Edwards and reclamation project J.K.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

He’d been pivoting on his right leg when Burt Wesson, a bruiser on the Washington Bullets, slammed into him.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

bruiser

noun

noun

Etymology

Origin of bruiser

Example Sentences

Related Words