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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
-
Remember: Without the stunning moment when the boat kisses that frozen hulk, this Best Picture winner is just another Romeo and Juliet knockoff.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
-
Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain.—
David Petitti,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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If the Panthers don’t trade the loser of the center battle, that player — Austin Corbett or Cade Mays — could also take Zavala’s spot as the primary backup guard.—
Mike Kaye
August 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The winners are rewarded, and the losers risk being vanquished.—
John Gallucci Jr,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Between the freshness of the lump crab and its vegetal crunch, the orzo had all the makings of a great summer pasta salad, if on the mild-mannered side.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
26 July 2025
-
The 43-year-old initially felt an olive-sized lump in her breast while pregnant, forcing an early labor and a mastectomy just six days after giving birth to Lily, now 11.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
As an adult, Superman was able to rescue his dog from the Phantom Zone, and the mutt gained superpowers under the yellow sun.—
James Grebey,
Time,
10 July 2025
-
First seen barreling toward the camera at speeds only the most brazen digital effects house could estimate, this mutt runs like the wind and pounces like an anvil with hairy legs and a neat red cape.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Each villain’s legacy led to the establishment of a specific dormitory at Night Raven College, creating distinct magical communities within the academy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
-
When it was announced that the Disney Destiny would be themed to heroes and villains, the theater creatives knew Hercules had to be the premier show inside the Walt Disney Theater.—
Megan duBois,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The early stages of a comedian’s career is about finding your clown — the core of what is funny about you — and then acclimating audiences to it.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
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There will also be a nightly circus show featuring aerialists, acrobats, clowns, jugglers and motorcycle stunt riders.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 July 2025
Noun
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The center is permitted for all native wildlife, ranging from opossums, skunks, raccoons to songbirds, waterfowl, reptiles, and amphibians, Hamlin said.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
2 July 2025
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The animals included 12 bats, nine racoons, eight skunks, two groundhogs, a bobcat, three cats and a fox, data shows.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.
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