gladiator
noun
glad·i·a·tor
ˈgla-dē-ˌā-tər 
1
: a person engaged in a fight to the death as public entertainment for ancient Romans
2
: a person engaging in a public fight or controversy
3
: a trained fighter
especially
: a professional boxer
Examples of gladiator in a Sentence
the two punch-drunk gladiators stumbled to their corners
Recent Examples on the Web
In the fresh plaster of an adjoining stairway’s arches, experts identified a charcoal drawing of two pairs of gladiators.
—
Patrick Smith, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The first Gladiator won Russell Crowe a best actor Oscar, and told the story of a Roman general sold into slavery and forced to fight as a gladiator, all while turning his growing popularity with the people against the murderous Commodus.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
An unfinished trailer showed glimpses of Mescal, 28, as Lucius Verus, the nephew of the original film’s villain Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who grows to idolize deceased gladiator Maximus (Crowe).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Diaz was an executive producer on the hit Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler and helped set up Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Roman gladiator series Those About to Die, which is set to go out on Peacock stateside this July.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024
Unlike his uncle, who’s constantly soaking his bloated body in oily spa treatments, the ferocious na-Baron appears to have been chiseled out of marble, gleaming white during the gladiator match that marks one of the film’s high points.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024
The documentary is narrated by Gucci ambassador and future Ridley Scott gladiator Paul Mescal and directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost of Paranormal Activity 3 (and 4) fame.
—Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
During gladiator fights, women were allowed to sit only in the worst seats, next to the slaves.
—Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
Patrick Smith, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The first Gladiator won Russell Crowe a best actor Oscar, and told the story of a Roman general sold into slavery and forced to fight as a gladiator, all while turning his growing popularity with the people against the murderous Commodus.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
An unfinished trailer showed glimpses of Mescal, 28, as Lucius Verus, the nephew of the original film’s villain Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who grows to idolize deceased gladiator Maximus (Crowe).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Diaz was an executive producer on the hit Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler and helped set up Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Roman gladiator series Those About to Die, which is set to go out on Peacock stateside this July.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024
Unlike his uncle, who’s constantly soaking his bloated body in oily spa treatments, the ferocious na-Baron appears to have been chiseled out of marble, gleaming white during the gladiator match that marks one of the film’s high points.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024
The documentary is narrated by Gucci ambassador and future Ridley Scott gladiator Paul Mescal and directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost of Paranormal Activity 3 (and 4) fame.
—Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
During gladiator fights, women were allowed to sit only in the worst seats, next to the slaves.
—Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gladiator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gladiator
Cite this Entry
“Gladiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gladiator. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gladiator
noun
glad·i·a·tor
ˈglad-ē-ˌāt-ər
1
: a person engaged in a fight to the death for public entertainment in ancient Rome
2
: a person engaging in a fierce fight or controversy
Etymology
from Latin gladiator, literally, "swordsman," from gladius "sword" — related to gladiolus
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