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
Sire Gaines #26 of the Boise State Broncos stiff-arms Kajuan Banks #13 of the South Florida Bulls in the first half of a game at Raymond James Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025 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 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 Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night. Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 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. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 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

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 4 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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