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burly

[bur-lee] / ˈbɜr li /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Once it disgorged its haul, Al-Zaharnah, a burly, weary-looking 56-year-old, climbed over the detritus and bent low for a closer look.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

He was a tough, burly defender, the sort of competitor they would need if they were going to go toe-to-toe with soccer’s mightiest superpowers in the World Cup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

From it emerged a 64-year-old dairyman, burly and tan, who left the engine running as he lumbered toward me with open arms.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Hell belongs to the powerhouses; the burly classics riders who cannot go over mountains day after day, but who can go for longer and harder across one epic day of racing.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

The prince introduced Kaede to Tali, a burly guard with a salt-and-pepper beard and hair shot through with gray.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Humans, it turns out, may be just like animals, with cold-adapted species tending to be burlier with thicker, shorter limbs to limit heat loss.

From BBC ● May 11, 2023

With the help of heavy makeup and costume work, he first portrayed the much older, burlier dairyman in his 30s and quite literally aged into the role.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

He held a defensive stance like his quads never burned and stalked around on defense like a burlier man.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2022

After the hotly-contested casting of Tom Cruise as author Lee Child's pulp hero in a 2012 feature film, the far burlier Alan Ritchson has received a much warmer welcome.

From Salon ● May 9, 2022

This new white knight was not so tall nor comely as the old one, but he was bigger across the chest, burlier, his arms thick with muscle.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Quinn Hughes isn’t the biggest or burliest skater on the ice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

These guys make anyone think twice about running up the middle, possessing the size and skill to stop even the Big Ten’s burliest tailbacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2024

California's burliest burglar is no longer the lone suspect in nearly 40 home break-ins across the Lake Tahoe region, wildlife officials have said.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2022

Even when the dead bodies Zachary Smeltz lifts for a living are hefty, he makes sure to handle even the burliest corpse in a gentle manner, masking any exertion.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2016

But the appearance of its owner, the burliest of several women now employing the establishment’s facilities, deterred him.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote




Vocabulary lists containing burly


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