featherweight
noun
feath·er·weight
ˈfe-t͟hər-ˌwāt 
1
: one that is very light in weight
especially
: a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 126 pounds for professionals and 125 pounds for amateurs compare bantamweight, lightweight
featherweight
adjective
Examples of featherweight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The same reason why Mike Tyson was not allowed to fight against featherweights.
—
Tony Jones, New York Times, 18 May 2026
For Holloway, this is the first welterweight bout of his career after spending nearly all of his UFC run at featherweight and the past year at lightweight.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
His jaw-dropping victorious clash with Doo-Ho Choi was not only Fight of the Night at UFC 206, it was voted 2016’s Fight of the Year and propelled both featherweights into the UFC Hall of Fame.
—Brian Martin, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Women’s world featherweight champion Shoko Nakajima currently sits on top of the division, but there are several others who are making waves and could certainly contend for the title in months and weeks to come.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for featherweight
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tony Jones, New York Times, 18 May 2026
For Holloway, this is the first welterweight bout of his career after spending nearly all of his UFC run at featherweight and the past year at lightweight.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
His jaw-dropping victorious clash with Doo-Ho Choi was not only Fight of the Night at UFC 206, it was voted 2016’s Fight of the Year and propelled both featherweights into the UFC Hall of Fame.
—Brian Martin, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Women’s world featherweight champion Shoko Nakajima currently sits on top of the division, but there are several others who are making waves and could certainly contend for the title in months and weeks to come.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for featherweight
Cite this Entry
“Featherweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/featherweight. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
featherweight
noun
feath·er·weight
-ˌwāt
1
: a very light weight
2
: one that weighs little
especially
: a boxer in a weight division having an upper limit of about 126 pounds
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
