sawbones

noun

ˈsȯ-ˌbōnz How to pronounce sawbones (audio)
Definition of sawbonesnext
slang
as in doctor
a person specially trained in healing human medical disorders a real old-timer who remembers when you could expect a sawbones to make a house call

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sawbones
  1. doctor
  2. physician
Noun
  • According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Donna is estranged from Robert, who is a doctor in New York.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • On a muggy Saturday afternoon in mid-August, tennis player Novak Djokovic appeared to vomit into a towel and called for a doctor to check his blood pressure before unexpectedly losing a second-round match in Cincinnati.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of doctor
Noun
  • Most questions are screened by the office staff before they are relayed to the physician.
    — Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The physician runs a social media account critical of the communist government.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of physician
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.

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saw after
sawbones
sawbuck
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Cite this Entry

“Sawbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sawbones. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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