street fighter
1
6.2
- noun
- /strit ˈfaɪtər/
:
luchador callejero
- His experience as a street fighter helped him handle confrontations outside of sports.
Well, I'm not a Street Fighter, nor do I like confrontation.
- Well, I'm not a Street Fighter, nor do I like confrontation.
- So street fighters, boxers, sort of.
- You know, they, they were, they were street fighters.
- And then like fan bases and people who really don't watch us play, they, they've called us thugs and street fighters and coons and all of that.
Examples
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Despite lacking formal training, she earned a reputation as a tough street fighter in her local neighborhood.
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But you fight, you brawl like you was a street fighter, and I know somethin' about that.
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And I told you never to fight a street fighter fight.
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So street fighters, boxers, sort of.
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Balboa is a street fighter.
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But he's a street fighter.
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Just because a young man is a good street fighter or even a proper boxer doesn't mean that he will make a good mercenary.
Blog text (26) -
Heck, even if I was the world's toughest street fighter, I would never walk home from a pub on my own at 1:30 a.m. down dark streets.
Blog text (26) -
Growing up in the city, he became known as a skilled street fighter after defending himself against bullies.
Synonyms
8
6.2
A person who fights roughly in places like bars
Antonyms
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is largely compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'street' and 'fighter' will infer a person who fights in street contexts or is rough/aggressive, so the core meaning is accessible. However, the additional nuance of being willing to use underhanded or unscrupulous methods is pragmatic/pejorative and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Street fighter comes from the picture of a street and a fighter — someone who learned to fight in roads and alleys rather than in a gym, using quick, rough moves and surprise. So it now means a person who can fight well in real street situations, often without formal training.