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
Lindsey needed to stiff-arm a tackler and every single inch to reach the pylon, as well as a replay review to uphold it, in order to score the game-winning touchdown in a 23-20 overtime win at Huntington Bank Stadium.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 1 Nov. 2025
But Sage essentially struck a Heisman Trophy pose, stiff-arming Shannon from any sort of reconciliation.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Dart finished that run by winding up a big stiff-arm for Chargers cornerback Cam Hart.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Kelce hauled in a 23-yard reception while stiff-arming Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2025
Sire Gaines #26 of the Boise State Broncos stiff-arms Kajuan Banks #13 of the South Florida Bulls in the first half of a game at Raymond James Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Longtime Chargers observers know the player with the best stiff-arm in team history belonged to the incomparable LaDainian Tomlinson.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 1 Nov. 2025
But Sage essentially struck a Heisman Trophy pose, stiff-arming Shannon from any sort of reconciliation.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Dart finished that run by winding up a big stiff-arm for Chargers cornerback Cam Hart.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Kelce hauled in a 23-yard reception while stiff-arming Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2025
Sire Gaines #26 of the Boise State Broncos stiff-arms Kajuan Banks #13 of the South Florida Bulls in the first half of a game at Raymond James Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Longtime Chargers observers know the player with the best stiff-arm in team history belonged to the incomparable LaDainian Tomlinson.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-arm
Verb
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Difficult Amazon logistics is no excuse Another challenge to vaccinating indigenous groups is the complicated logistics of getting shots to their territories, which are often isolated and hard to reach.—
Adriana Brasileiro,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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And that’s what people want at the end of the day, is someone to resonate with and not feel so alone and isolated in this world.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Testers noted how plush or stiff the mattress felt after consistent sleep on the mattresses, from a boxed memory foam to a hybrid bed.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
5 Oct. 2025
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When your sugar mixture reaches 230°F, begin beating your egg whites to firm peak stage; egg whites will hold their shape but not quite to stiff peak stage.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the British nations, as ever, remained aloof, England rejecting a late offer to step in for Austria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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Democrats are pushing to extend soon-to-expire health care tax credits and reverse earlier Medicaid cuts, but Republicans have rejected those proposals.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
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Of course, one major qualifier for this is the fact there are plenty of reasons for even moderate Democrats to be repulsed at the idea of electing Cuomo.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An emergency order by the FAA on Thursday said airlines have to cut traffic by 4%, resulting in about 800 flight cancellations for Friday that increased to over 1,000 throughout the day, according to FlightAware.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Southwest Airlines cut about 120 flights Friday.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The windshield repels the huddled form and the thump on the pavement sounds like a rebuke.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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It’s made from solid red wood cedar that’s water-resistant, won’t decay, and repels insects.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Follow along to see who got nominated, who was snubbed and who surprised us all.—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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Ranger Suárez was an All-Star in 2024 and was snubbed from the All-Star Game last season.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Prince Harry also reportedly informed the royal family of his events in advance, so there would be no reason for anyone to feel slighted by his announcement.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Nov. 2025
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The subtext to the litigation is Oakley’s personal grievance against Dolan, whom the ex-player has long criticized, in part for slighting him compared to other Knicks legends.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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