Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Boxer

Boxer

6 8.4
A member of a Chinese secret group who fought foreign influence around 1900
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːksər/
: bóxer
  • NARRATOR 2: With one blow of his mighty hoof, Boxer the workhorse smashes the door.
  • Boxer Rebellion

Examples

  • The Qing court is forced to sign the Boxer Protocol.

  • The Boxer Rebellion.

    Going the Distance (2010)

  • Snowball bravely attacks Jones while Boxer stands on the farmer's gun.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The retired boxer who mans the counter at the tuxedo rental shop.

    Academic text (2007)

  • During the late 19th century, many Boxers fought against foreign control in China.

  • The Boxers believed they could drive the foreigners out of their country during the rebellion.

  • Several Boxers led attacks against missionaries and foreign businesses in their cities.

Surface Forms

Boxer singular
Boxers plural

Morphology

Boxer = box (opaque) = box + er

The form is built from box + -er, but this historical label for the Chinese secret society is a conventional name rather than a meaning that modern learners can reliably derive from the parts.

Etymology

Boxer was the name given by Westerners to members of a Chinese secret group called the 'Righteous and Harmonious Fists' because the fighters practiced martial arts and special fighting moves that looked like boxing. That's why the 1900 uprising is called the Boxer Rebellion — the name comes from these fighters, not from the sport.