brawn — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Strong muscles or lean flesh, especially of the arm, leg or thumb.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. Physical strength; muscularity.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The builders at the site had more brawn than brain.

   More examples (1)

   The man was a bruiser, the sort who'd learned his science in tavern brawls. Given his size and lack of agility, he relied on his brawn to win. In any wrestling match, Crowley would triumph easily.

   The two men were husky, picked for their brawn by the little man who sauntered into the room.

   More examples (1)

   The youth agreed to the scheme and used his brawn to begin moving pieces into place, starting by moving the planet Rann into the Thanagarian star system […]

3. Head cheese; a terrine made from the head of a pig or calf; originally boar's meat.

   Usage

   • UK usage
   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Now if your Majesty would have our bristles To bind your mortar with, or fill our colons With rich blood, or make brawn out of our gristles, In policy—ask else your royal Solons— You ought to give us hog-wash and clean straw, And sties well thatched; besides it is the law!

   It was brawn and shape for high tea.

4. A boar.

   Usage

   • UK usage
   • Countable
   • dialectal
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   And loud as brawns wer [they] snoring,

   More examples (1)

   THE village of Brancepath, pleasantly situated at the distance of four miles and three- quarters south-west by west of Durham, is said to have derived its name (a corruption of Brawn's-path) from a brawn of vast size, [...]

Verb

1. Make fat, especially of a boar.

   Usage

   • Transitive

2. Become fat, especially of a boar.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

Noun

1. possessing muscular strength

   Synonyms

   brawninessmusclemuscularitysinewheftiness

   Broader terms

   strength