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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He is isolated in Sweden — far away from coaching candidates, far away from Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza — left to find his next coach on a schedule six hours ahead of Eastern Time.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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Extreme anxiety and extreme depression is isolating.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2025
Verb
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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
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Failing to comply can lead to stiff fines (up to 4% of a company’s turnover) and disrupt market access.—
Florent Bouguin,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To compound the embarrassment, Arsenal fan group Ashburton Army had raised more than £12,000 to fund their own tifo, which the club rejected (fans who had donated were refunded their money).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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On May 16, Brown appeared in Manchester Magistrates’ Court, where Judge Joanne Hirst rejected his bail request.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
18 May 2025
Verb
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The obvious solution—getting a proper job—is, for Jack, a non-starter: conventional work repulses him.—
Peter C. Baker,
New Yorker,
11 May 2025
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Image In the novel, Pabst starts off physically repulsed by the mere idea of working for the Reich, but gradually comes around.—
David Segal,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Republican bill cuts Medicaid for unemployed, undocumented children, Planned Parenthood How much do Americans rely on programs like Medicaid and Social Security?—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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Vought compared it to the 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement, which, at the time, cut spending by over $200 billion and did as the name suggests.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
22 May 2025
Verb
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There are a few factors driving that interest; Greenland occupies a unique geopolitical position, sitting between the US and Europe, which could help repel any potential attack from Russia, experts have said.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
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The lenses are scratch-resistant and treated to repel water, dirt, and oil.—
Lauren Wingenroth,
SELF,
1 May 2025
Verb
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While the actress even nabbed nominations at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, she was ultimately snubbed at the Oscars.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
6 May 2025
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They were snubbed on Selection Sunday though, with Arkansas State getting the lone bid out of the Sun Belt.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Plus, an in-demand restaurant at capacity might not feel particularly motivated to go above and beyond to satisfy a diner who feels slighted by their subpar table.—
Maggie Hennessy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
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Was slighting the defense to improve the offense worth risking a miss on several top defensive prospects?—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arm. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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