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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

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

Another new candidate in the Platner-mold is burly Pennsylvania firefighter Bob Brooks, who is running for Congress.

From Barron's May 3, 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

A burly security guard—maybe six four, 250 pounds, his hair in long, ropy dreadlocks—came up behind her.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

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

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

The challenge, he concluded, was to turn himself into the game’s most complete player — one with no discernible weakness and myriad tactical options to defeat burlier men.

From Washington Post Sep. 9, 2021

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

“Even the burliest, cis-dude gym rats are coming up to me all the time and thanking me for creating a space where they feel safe to work out,” Rypinski says.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 5, 2026

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

Small wonder that even the burliest jocks in high school looked to me for fashion tips.

From New York Times Nov. 3, 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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