bruiser

English

Etymology

bruise +‎ -er

Noun

bruiser (plural bruisers)

1. (sports) In contact sports, an athlete whose size, strength, and/or aggressiveness make it likely that they will cause athletes on the opposing team to suffer physical punishment.
2. (by extension, colloquial, derogatory) A tall, strong, heavily built person, usually a man, especially one prone to physical violence; a strong and tough person.

   Synonym: thug

   His "assistant" was a big bruiser named Pete, who, with his enormous shoulders and menacing scowl, was clearly present for the intimidation factor.

   • 1895, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, chapter X, in The Stark Munro Letters: […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC:

     So there, my dear Bertie, was I, within a few hours of my entrance into this town, with my top-hat down to my ears, my highly professional frock-coat, and my kid gloves, fighting some low bruiser on a pedestal in one of the most public places, in the heart of a yelling and hostile mob! I ask you whether that was cruel luck or not?

3. A machine for bruising oats.
4. A person who enjoys arguing with others.
5. A professional boxer.
   • 1906–1907, Jack London, chapter V, in Before Adam:

     Sometimes, when in the newspapers I happen upon descriptions of our modern bruisers and prizefighters, I wonder what chance the best of them would have had against him.

Derived terms

• lightning bruiser

 

Translations

an athlete who likely will cause physical punishment

• German: Bulle (de) m, bulliger Typ m, Kraftmeier (de) m, Tier (de) n
• Serbo-Croatian: rmpalija (sh) m

a heavily built person, usually a man, especially prone to physical violence

• French: malabar (fr), gorille (fr)
• German: Schlägertyp m, Brutalo m
• Serbo-Croatian: rmpalija (sh) m

Further reading

• “bruiser”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “bruiser”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “bruiser”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “bruiser”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “bruiser”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “bruiser” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.

Anagrams

• brisure, buriers