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Glite Dictionary
sumo wrestler

sumo wrestler

6 4.5
A person who competes in the Japanese sport of sumo
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːmoʊ ˈrɛslər/
translation icon : luchador de sumo
  • Japan, the place where young sumo wrestlers have to bathe older sumo wrestlers.
  • Japanese sumo wrestler
  • fat sumo wrestler
  • two sumo wrestlers

Well, and I don't yet know if you feel like it's there is no longevity implication to the sumo wrestler as long as he's working out.

Examples

  • Everyone was amazed by the power and agility of the sumo wrestler during the match.

  • The sumo wrestlers are running slightly late, so until then, sumo wrestle amongst yourselves.

    Dirty Dishes (2022)

  • I really wanted to go there to learn how to be a sumo wrestler.

    3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994)

  • What about sumo wrestlers, you ask?

    Blog text (31)

  • "That sumo wrestler gave me a most marvelous idea," she said.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • This is by far the biggest sumo wrestler we've seen.

  • Tonight our show focuses on a comparison of American wrestling to Japan's sumo wrestlers.

    Meet Wally Sparks (1997)

  • "The sumo wrestler must reach the weight of 300 pounds before he is allowed to Don the traditional sumo diaper and compete."

    Dad (1989)

  • Frito winks at Teddy and says, "Al who?" While they eat, they watch a documentary on Japanese sumo wrestlers on the Discovery Channel.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • A small earthquake shook the station, and three sumo wrestlers came crashing down the stairs like a tidal wave.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

wrestler
vssumo wrestler
110 1.6

A person who fights by trying to throw or hold an opponent on the ground

is a professional athlete in a traditional Japanese ring sport
grappler
vssumo wrestler
2 7.4

A person who fights by holding and throwing opponents to the ground

is a professional athlete in a traditional Japanese ring sport not general close fighting

Surface Forms

sumo wrestler singular
sumo wrestlers plural

Morphology

sumo + wrestler

The meaning is directly compositional: 'sumo' names the specific Japanese wrestling style and 'wrestler' denotes an athlete who wrestles, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'a professional athlete who competes in sumo.' This kind of noun–noun combination is cross-linguistically transparent and follows straightforward English compounding patterns, making it easily understandable at B1 level.

Etymology

Sumo wrestler comes from the old Japanese sport of sumo, where a wrestler is the person who fights in a small ring. Big, powerful men wear a thick belt, stomp and throw salt before trying to push their opponent out, so today the phrase means 'a professional athlete in sumo'.