bantamweight

noun

ban·​tam·​weight ˈban-təm-ˌwāt How to pronounce bantamweight (audio)
: a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 118 pounds for professionals and 119 pounds for amateurs compare featherweight, flyweight

Examples of bantamweight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Smith also makes for an appealing, if frustratingly bantamweight, hero. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The list of incredible sportsbooks is more crowded than the bantamweight division, so narrowing our list down wasn’t easy. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The main event of that card sees UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley facing off against Marlon Vera. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Natalie, a martial artist of persuasion played by Erica Steinhagen, and her partner, the bantamweight chatterbox Joe (Karl Gregory), ring Redelmo’s doorbell and talk their way into his house. James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023 Each time bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling raised the microphone to speak at Thursday’s UFC 292 press conference, boos rained down from the TD Garden crowd. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2023 Sterling, a Long Island, New York native, is trying to successfully defend the bantamweight championship for a record third time pretty much in his backyard at the Prudential Center. Dan Gelston, ajc, 5 May 2023 As the days moved closer to their bantamweight title bout, hostilities finally started to flare much more than their awkward docile exchange earlier in the week inside a New Jersey hotel. Dan Gelston, ajc, 5 May 2023 The pay-per-view — starting at 10 p.m. — is headlined by a pair of title fights, with Zhang Weili defending her strawweight belt in the co-main before Sean O’Malley challenges Aljamain Sterling for the men’s bantamweight title in the evening’s main event. Amin Touri, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bantamweight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bantamweight was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near bantamweight

Cite this Entry

“Bantamweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bantamweight. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bantamweight

noun
ban·​tam·​weight -ˌwāt How to pronounce bantamweight (audio)
: a boxer in a weight division having an upper limit of about 118 pounds

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