bruiser

[ broo-zer ]

/ ˈbru zər /

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noun Informal.

a strong, tough person: The football player was over six feet tall and weighed 285 pounds—a real bruiser.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of bruiser

First recorded in 1580–90; bruise + -er¹

Words nearby bruiser

Brugmann, brugmansia, Bruhn, bruin, bruise, bruiser, bruising, bruit, brulé, Brumaire, brumal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bruiser in a sentence

Aesthetically, his game doesn’t look like Kawhi Leonard’s, but he’s got a similar shot profile, and he’s an absolute bruiser inside the arc.
Can The Phoenix Suns Cap Off A Magical Season?|Tony Chow (tony.chow@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 2, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The coaching staff also often speaks highly of Peyton Barber, a bruiser mostly used in short-yardage situations.
Washington brings back Lamar Miller and David Sharpe; Nick Sundberg to leave|Sam Fortier|March 17, 2021|Washington Post
The other is a Jersey bruiser, with a (much-discussed) physique reminiscent of Tony Soprano after a doughnut bender.
Squishes, Step Aside: Ted Cruz and Chris Christie’s Old-School Manliness|Michelle Cottle|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is, to Obama, a milquetoastian core, one that needs perpetual strengthening by an inner-sanctum bruiser.
America's Prime Minister|Tunku Varadarajan|September 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He is tough, a Scottish bruiser when it comes to a knuckle fight.
Florida on the Thames|Tina Brown|May 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Oh, that half-jockey, half-bruiser countenance, I never forgot it!
Lavengro|George Borrow
Expert electrician, mechanic, sport spoiler and bruiser, eh?
Radio Boys Loyalty|Wayne Whipple
When Young Davey came in I thought he'd have you out on the road for a certainty, and he's a pretty bruiser.
The Pioneers|Katharine Susannah Prichard
Frank appreciated the kindness of the big bruiser, whose admiration he had won by giving him a severe thrashing.
Frank Merriwell's Races|Burt L. Standish
Then he stepped through the door carefully, to make sure that the big bruiser hadn't come back.
Police Your Planet|Lester del Rey

British Dictionary definitions for bruiser

bruiser

/ (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

bruiser

Origin of bruiser

Words nearby bruiser

Words related to bruiser

How to use bruiser in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bruiser