as in doctor
a person specially trained in healing human medical disorders
a real old-timer who remembers when you could expect a sawbones to make a house call
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Recent Examples of sawbones
Under the Knife 2 continues the story of Dr. Derek Stiles, the brilliant young sawbones from the original game.
—
Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Earnest Cavalli, WIRED, 1 July 2008
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sawbones
Noun
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At four months old, doctors diagnosed him with a large ventricular septal defect (VSD) between the left and right ventricles in his heart, as well as pulmonary hypertension.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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After Fowler was taken to the hospital, doctors found antifreeze in his system — causing significant damage to his internal organs.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When the test showed microscopic blood loss, his physician recommended a colonoscopy.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Florida nonprofit Veterans Cannabis Care addresses this directly, absorbing 100% of both physician and state certification fees for qualifying veterans.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sawbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sawbones. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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