stiff-arm

1 of 2

verb

stiff-armed; stiff-arming; stiff-arms

transitive verb

1
2
: to treat with disdain or neglect : slight, snub

stiff-arm

2 of 2

noun

Examples of stiff-arm in a Sentence

Verb in his sad and lonely old age, he stiff-armed even once-beloved friends
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Longtime Chargers observers know the player with the best stiff-arm in team history belonged to the incomparable LaDainian Tomlinson. Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025 Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation. Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025 Lynch also started to go viral for seemingly stiff-arming a Seahawks player who got too close to his camera. James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025 With nowhere to distribute the football, Rodgers broke the pocket and scampered to the sideline, stiff-arming Sawyer before ducking out of bounds. Mike Defabo, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025 Canada and Denmark currently offer a striking contrast in playbooks for responding to a suddenly hostile U.S. While Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking a stiff-arm tactic for the moment, others are like the Danes and trying to accommodate Trump’s impulses. Philip Elliott, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025 And his actions to stiff-arm Congress by ignoring laws and funding instructions during his 100-day blitz of executive directives have stoked mistrust among Democrats in both chambers. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg #84 of the Wyoming Cowboys stiff-arms cornerback Noah Avinger #1 of the New Mexico Lobos during the first half of a game at University Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025 Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation. Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1909, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stiff-arm was in 1909

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiff-arm. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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