as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
in his sad and lonely old age, he stiff-armed even once-beloved friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of stiff-arm
There’s probably not a football fan alive who doesn’t love to see a ball carrier use a good stiff-arm to knock a defender to the ground.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 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
Daniels mustered an escape with a stiff-arm and lateral burst.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Andrew Greif Two stiff-arms and 24 yards later, Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert turned a second-and-1 situation into a touchdown for the Eagles.
—NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
They stiff-arm congressional subpoenas or demands for information with spurious claims of state secrets, executive privilege or unwritten tradition.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
There was more than a grain of truth to the lament by Pence and company that the Democrats in Washington were stiff-arming comprehensive immigration legislation backed by Republicans and the Trump administration.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024
Washington’s offense still controlled the ball and clock enough, however, to stiff-arm the Giants’ late push away.
—Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2024
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 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
Daniels mustered an escape with a stiff-arm and lateral burst.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Andrew Greif Two stiff-arms and 24 yards later, Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert turned a second-and-1 situation into a touchdown for the Eagles.
—NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
They stiff-arm congressional subpoenas or demands for information with spurious claims of state secrets, executive privilege or unwritten tradition.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
There was more than a grain of truth to the lament by Pence and company that the Democrats in Washington were stiff-arming comprehensive immigration legislation backed by Republicans and the Trump administration.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024
Washington’s offense still controlled the ball and clock enough, however, to stiff-arm the Giants’ late push away.
—Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-arm
Verb
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My husband was isolating in our spare bedroom, leaving food outside my door three times a day.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
31 May 2025
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The recent Russian advances in Donetsk, while incremental, were enabled by the tactic of isolating the battlefield – cutting Ukrainian units from supplies through drone strikes on supply vehicles up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the front lines.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Harsh cleaning powders and gels can scratch the surface, as can stiff brushes and scouring pads.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
20 May 2025
-
The past two comparable moves in this small-investor proxy, in November 2022 and March 2022, led to stiff near-term declines in the basket within weeks.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But judges reviewing other eligibility cases have rejected this interpretation as construing Alston beyond its actual words.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2025
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The Dolphins have maintained contact with veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas, who rejected a Miami offer earlier this month.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2025
Verb
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But throughout the series, he became increasingly repulsed by these actions, which included enslaving thousands of women.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
27 May 2025
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With every cringe, with every critique of her family’s behavior, Piper has been telegraphing that those values repulse her.—
Cyndy Etler,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The end of Elon Musk’s time at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency is the latest chapter in a long story: Republicans are better at cutting taxes than cutting spending.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
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President Joe Biden promoted a suite of policies meant to cut carbon emissions by boosting EV sales.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Some companion plants are either trap plants, which will distract the bugs, or plants that will repel them with their scent.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
4 June 2025
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Strikes were also repelled in the Amur region in Russia's Far East and in the western regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan, the ministry said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed, but Putin snubbed Trump and has stubbornly refused to end the fighting.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2025
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Taylor Swift was snubbed at the American Music Awards (AMAs) won Monday, according to the singer's fans.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Aware of the ongoing discourse around Joey Bada$$’s comments—which some took as slighting the West Coast’s current success—Soul stepped up with a diplomatic but direct verse.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
14 May 2025
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No one feels slighted that a title won’t be on the line in a WrestleMania main event.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arm. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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