1
2
as in guys
a member of the human race
one lucky stiff will get the biggest jackpot in the lottery's history
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in isolates
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
the actress has a reputation for stiffing the press at red-carpet events
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in hustles
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
customers who were too embarrassed to admit that they had been stiffed by an Internet company claiming to sell designer handbags
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stiffs
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
15 June 2026
Advertisement Not every variety-show booking delighted every viewer (just ask the stiffs who hyperventilated when Elvis wiggled his hips on Sullivan’s stage), but there was enough, most nights, to captivate tens of millions of them.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2026
Now the working stiffs are white-collar people.
—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Trixies is a song cycle centering on a mythical bar and its working class stiffs and gangsters that’s one-part Cheers, the other The Untouchables.
—
Jason Pettigrew,
SPIN,
9 Mar. 2026
In February 2021, the Rockies slammed shut their own competitive window, one that had peaked too briefly in 2017 and ’18, by trading Arenado and $51 million to the Cardinals for Austin Gomber and four stiffs.
—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Marty Supreme is stuffed with street kids, working stiffs, midcentury aristocrats, and world-class athletes, all clad in crisp, period-accurate garb.
—
Wengel Gemu,
Vanity Fair,
15 Jan. 2026
After one of his clients stiffs him, Veneno runs into Muñeco (Osvaldo Sanchez), a trucker in his 40s who spends long weeks away from his estranged family, drinking and doing drugs to stay awake on the job.
—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
Wainwright’s home out East is one of the 200 or so Leisurama homes that Geller designed for working stiffs on Long Island, which may draw a few architecture buffs, and there is a sauna, hot tub, deck, beach access, and a garage with a separate studio apartment with a full bathroom.
—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
15 June 2026
Advertisement Not every variety-show booking delighted every viewer (just ask the stiffs who hyperventilated when Elvis wiggled his hips on Sullivan’s stage), but there was enough, most nights, to captivate tens of millions of them.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2026
Now the working stiffs are white-collar people.
—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Trixies is a song cycle centering on a mythical bar and its working class stiffs and gangsters that’s one-part Cheers, the other The Untouchables.
—
Jason Pettigrew,
SPIN,
9 Mar. 2026
In February 2021, the Rockies slammed shut their own competitive window, one that had peaked too briefly in 2017 and ’18, by trading Arenado and $51 million to the Cardinals for Austin Gomber and four stiffs.
—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Marty Supreme is stuffed with street kids, working stiffs, midcentury aristocrats, and world-class athletes, all clad in crisp, period-accurate garb.
—
Wengel Gemu,
Vanity Fair,
15 Jan. 2026
After one of his clients stiffs him, Veneno runs into Muñeco (Osvaldo Sanchez), a trucker in his 40s who spends long weeks away from his estranged family, drinking and doing drugs to stay awake on the job.
—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffs
Noun
-
The family’s ordeal worsened Sunday when her brother-in-law found the body of his mother, Rosa María Díaz de Rodríguez, among a pile of corpses.
-
The men escape, but their frantic exit leads them through the gruesome Terminus food-supply dungeon, where fresh corpses hang on meathooks.
Noun
-
Look at how powerful Clayton and the front office have handled the pitching staff as guys go up and down.
-
Great casting can make a show that much more revealing, and the guys walking it can help sell the fantasy on offer.
Verb
-
The Beats Studio Pro isolates your music using adaptive active noise cancelling and 360-degree Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking.
-
For clear voice communication, each earbud has a dual-microphone system paired with an AI noise reduction algorithm that isolates the wearer’s voice from ambient sound in the background.
Verb
-
Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.
-
Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.
Noun
-
In the spring of 2023, as epic winter snows melted, horse carcasses emerged along the shores of South Tufa and nearby Navy Beach.
-
Tick Free Martha’s Vineyard plans to build a processing facility for the carcasses; the meat, most of it donated to a local food pantry, is in high demand.
Noun
-
America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.
-
The Royals finished 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position (RISP) Thursday and left five men on base.
Verb
-
The final budget agreement rejects a call by Newsom to lower the asset limit to $2,000 now and instead lowers it to $21,000 in 2027-28 to be eligible for Medi-Cal.
-
Kenzie completely rejects Corbin’s because Corbin, having disrespected her, is now dead to her.
Verb
-
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.
-
Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.
Cite this Entry
“Stiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffs. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
