bare-knuckle
adjective or adverb
bare-knuck·le
ˈber-ˈnə-kəl 
variants
or less commonly bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
1
: not using boxing gloves
champion bare-knuckle prizefighter of England—
Dennis Craig
Dennis Craigwhen men fought bare-knuckle
2
: having a fierce unrelenting character
bare-knuckle politics
Examples of bare-knuckle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film shows how Cohn’s bare-knuckle approach shaped a young Trump.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
McLean said other theories about the name include bare-knuckle boxing matches that occurred the day after Christmas, or that many people return their boxes of unwanted gifts that day.
—Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 26 Dec. 2024
When David Feldman of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) held the first sanctioned bare-knuckle event in history at a hockey rink in Cheyenne, Wyoming, only 2,000 people showed up.
—Brian Roberts, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Democrats opposed the bill, waging an unsuccessful legal campaign with the help of Democratic attorney Marc Elias — known for his bare-knuckle tactics and work for the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
—Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Dec. 2024
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Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025
McLean said other theories about the name include bare-knuckle boxing matches that occurred the day after Christmas, or that many people return their boxes of unwanted gifts that day.
—Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 26 Dec. 2024
When David Feldman of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) held the first sanctioned bare-knuckle event in history at a hockey rink in Cheyenne, Wyoming, only 2,000 people showed up.
—Brian Roberts, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Democrats opposed the bill, waging an unsuccessful legal campaign with the help of Democratic attorney Marc Elias — known for his bare-knuckle tactics and work for the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
—Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
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Dictionary Entries Near bare-knuckle
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-knuckle. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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