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
Tenaglia is back for his first defense against bare-knuckle boxing sensation Tony Soto.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
The impact McGregor's presence could have on the sport of bare-knuckle and the BKFC promotion is almost immeasurable.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
However, these hits are sonically and geographically distant from the genre’s roots in the rural Cibao region of the Dominican Republic, where the sound’s bare-knuckle form, merengue típico, has reigned for more than a century.
—Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2024
Pierre follows him to place where these men, known as ultras, hang out, and finds a subcultural haven swathed in swastikas and simmering with aggression (there’s even bare-knuckle boxing).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-knuckle 
Brian Mazique, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
The impact McGregor's presence could have on the sport of bare-knuckle and the BKFC promotion is almost immeasurable.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
However, these hits are sonically and geographically distant from the genre’s roots in the rural Cibao region of the Dominican Republic, where the sound’s bare-knuckle form, merengue típico, has reigned for more than a century.
—Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2024
Pierre follows him to place where these men, known as ultras, hang out, and finds a subcultural haven swathed in swastikas and simmering with aggression (there’s even bare-knuckle boxing).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bare-knuckle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-knuckle. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
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