gladiator

American  

[glad-ee-ey-ter] / ˈglæd iˌeɪ tər /

noun

gladiators plural

1. (in ancient Rome) a person, often a slave or captive, who was armed with a sword or other weapon and compelled to fight to the death in a public arena against another person or a wild animal, for the entertainment of the spectators.

2. a person who engages in a fight or controversy.

3. a prizefighter.

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gladiator British  

/ ˈɡlædɪˌeɪtə /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome and Etruria) a man trained to fight in arenas to provide entertainment

2. a person who supports and fights publicly for a cause

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gladiators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gladiator

1535–45; < Latin gladiātor, equivalent to gladi ( us ) sword + -ātor -ator

Explanation

In ancient Rome, gladiators fought each other in front of an audience. Though these fights were called "games," they often ended in the death of one of the gladiators. Although they were celebrated in art and applauded for their strength and fighting skill, it wasn't easy to be an ancient Roman gladiator. They were essentially slaves who were forced to fight, sometimes being matched against wild animals or criminals. While the gladiator games may seem horrible to us today, they lasted almost a thousand years. The word gladiator comes from the Latin gladius, or "sword."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gladiator gladiators

They bonded over a shared disgust at gladiator shoes, and soon thereafter, were in a relationship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The gladiator depicted on the cover of “Those Who Are About to Die” has the beginnings of a pot belly and bears not the slightest physical resemblance to Kirk Douglas or Russell Crowe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick talked with election law gladiator Marc Elias, chair of Elias Law Group and founder of Democracy Docket.

From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026

Raising his house’s reputation as a formidable gladiator stable is the only path he can see to being accepted into society’s highest echelon.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

About twenty feet inside the doorway, a life-size wooden cutout of a gladiator popped up from the floor.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Much that we thought was true about gladiators turns out not to be true at all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

History is on the line in the Australian Open men's final on Sunday with tennis gladiators Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz each vowing no surrender.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

But Ashur sees her and the rest of his gladiators as property, believing his wealth and diplomatic acumen can one day buy him a seat at the table of Rome’s most powerful.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

I loved singing the end title to “Troy,” and nobody would think this guy needs to sing about gladiators.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025

Tarzan—“his straight and perfect figure, muscled as the best of the ancient Roman gladiators must have been muscled”—exemplified the ultimate victory of nature over nurture.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee