as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
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Recent Examples of palooka
Don’t be a palooka, start Nacua.
—
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
The jokes, by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser, have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
The jokes, by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser, have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
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There, beside the shiplike hulk of the Basilica of San Petronio—which is a work in progress, the foundation stone having been laid in 1390, and which somebody really should get around to finishing one of these days—was a vast white screen.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Like the port-holes of a hulk, Human spiders spin and spin, Backward down their threads so thin Dropping, each a hempen bulk.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Sunday’s loser will see its playoff hopes realistically fade to black.—
Greg Cote
October 2,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
-
However, one of the reasons the Red Sox were 4-3 losers to the Yankees is that Cora can’t pull a lever that’ll ensure that his players — such as, oh, Ceddanne Rafaela — deliver a sacrifice bunt in a key situation.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The most common symptom of breast cancer is a new lump or mass, but other signs and symptoms include swelling of the breast, skin dimpling, breast or nipple pain, nipple discharge aside from breast milk and nipple or breast skin that is red, dry, flaky or thickened, according to ACS.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Gradually whisk in the milk, making sure lumps do not form.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That rescue mutt had been known for years as Everest, but enough of that.—
Jim Cramer,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Now, researchers at Switzerland's ETH Zurich are putting these mechanical mutts through their paces on the badminton court, teaching them to play about as well as a seven-year-old human.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Currently, Wiig is in her villain era.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Only a moron would cut the funding of an industry that actually brings revenue into the government’s pocket.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
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Seth Rollins gassed Bron up by saying Jey Uso thinks his dad is a loser and his uncle is a moron.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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More than a decade later, the series continues to reimagine American histories and channel primal fears — from clowns and cults, to witches and ghosts — with each installment cloaked in social commentary and camp.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
-
But that won't ease the fears of anyone who categorizes clowns as monsters.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Rabies can be found in many other wildlife species, including raccoons, skunks, coyotes and foxes.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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After World War I, fur remained a status garment, though lower-cost furs like skunk, mole, and musquash entered mainstream winter wear.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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