bruiser

[ broo-zer ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a strong, tough person:

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

bruiser

/ ˈbruːzə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bruiser¹

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

Example Sentences

Louise braced both feet as we slanted down the stairs on some big bruiser’s back.

From Literature

These U.K. bruisers have been at the forefront of a post-punk renaissance coming out of the British Isles, a movement with an impressively long tail.

From Seattle Times

Yakuza 5, the most wide-ranging installment, features four other playable characters, including a bruiser who has recently escaped from prison and Kiryu’s adopted daughter, Haruka, an aspiring pop idol.

From New York Times

Scotland were expecting some brutality from the Tongan bruisers in Nice and they were probably steeled for some other stuff - some stuff that careered over the line between acceptable physicality and reckless ferocity.

From BBC

Or Jason Statham, the comically gifted bruiser now promoted to the series’ lead, doing, well, pretty much anything?

From New York Times

Related Words

• assailant
• boxer
• champion
• combatant
• mercenary
• militant
• opponent
• soldier
• tanker
• warlord
• warrior