featherweight
Americannoun
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a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a bantamweight and a lightweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 126 pounds (57 kilograms).
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an insignificant person or thing.
He thinks he's a major composer, but he's just a featherweight.
noun
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something very light or of little importance
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( as modifier )
featherweight considerations
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a professional boxer weighing 118–126 pounds (53.5–57 kg)
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an amateur boxer weighing 54–57 kg (119–126 pounds)
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( as modifier )
the featherweight challenger
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a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 126–139 pounds (57–63 kg))
Etymology
Origin of featherweight
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.
The bout was scheduled for five rounds in the featherweight division.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
In 2009, Carano fought Cris Cyborg for the inaugural Strikeforce featherweight title in a bout which represented the first time two women had headlined an event in a major MMA promotion.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Case in point: the featherweight quilted Celestia jacket with a highly reflective shell that, according to the designer, “comes alive with motion.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Much of the buzz has centered on the featherweight, carbon-fiber plated Adidas running shoes both Sawe and Kejelcha wore.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
What Cavendish was trying to do was measure gravity at this extremely featherweight level.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
