klutz

noun

ˈkləts How to pronounce klutz (audio)
Definition of klutznext
as in lummox
a clumsy, awkward person how can she be such a klutz after studying ballet for so many years?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of klutz Like Lerner’s previous protagonists, the narrator is something of an intellectual klutz, at once Chekhov and Chaplin. — Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 Leslie played along, pretending to be a klutz who liked being harshed by a pre-school kid. — Noor Hassan, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025 Gender-flipping a few genre tropes — like showing the guy as the klutz and having the girl chase him down to proclaim her love — no longer passes for subversive. — Courtney Howard, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025 Playing Dawn Summers, Trachtenberg joined the show in 2000, as Buffy's younger sister, who was at times bratty, sulky, and a bit of a klutz — but nonetheless offered a new and exciting sibling dynamic for the show to explore. — Shania Russell, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2025 Join for hilarious segments like kids on the naughty list, Christmas klutzes, and those hilariously fed up with the festivities. — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for klutz
  1. lummox
  2. dub
  3. gawk
  4. lubber
  5. lump
Noun
  • There’s married mom of six Angela (Alexandra Melrose), who needs a break from the double-wide trailer and her lummox spouse.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Max is still living happily in New York City with his owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper), and his lummox of a best friend Duke (Eric Stonestreet).
    — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 6 June 2019
Definition of lummox
Noun
  • At moments in the song, Minogue pitches the word down, a cavernous yawn resounding far from the lub-dub of forever.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 26 July 2026
  • Track seven swathes a nervous dub rhythm in cottony pads and opulent harps; track eight takes us out on an uncharacteristically beatless swirl, like a tide pool full of sea anemones.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026
Definition of dub
Noun
  • Carrie raves to Seema about her creative connection with Duncan, and during another writing session, Duncan helps Carrie with her faulty printer and gawks at her closet full of designer dresses and shoes.
    — Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 31 July 2025
  • The badaud, by contrast, is always liable to form a group or crowd, either for a mass gawk or some communal response.
    — Julian Barnes, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2022
Definition of gawk
Noun
  • One of the synthetic pyrethroids could also help control the young lubber grasshoppers.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Unlike other grasshopper species which are winged and agile, the lubber can't fly.
    — Adriana Brasileiro, orlandosentinel.com, 19 July 2019
Definition of lubber
Noun
  • The advertised jackpot is enormous, but after the lump-sum haircut, taxes and fees, the take‑home number is much lower.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • His nearly fatal ordeal began when a seemingly harmless lump on his cheek continued to grow.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of lump

Browse Nearby Words

kloofs
klutz
klutzes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Klutz.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/klutz. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All