1
as in palooka
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Recent Examples of stumblebum
The stumblebum energy disarms us, which makes the gruesome cruelty of the kills that much more disturbing.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
As opposed to palookas and has-beens and tin cans and stumblebums, a player who got waived departed with his dignity intact.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2018
Gerald Ford, for all his stumblebum image, was a Yale Law School graduate and veteran of legislative details.
—James Fallows, The Atlantic, 20 July 2017
The physicians lining up with Teirstein are not a bunch of stumblebums afraid of a few tests.
—Kurt Eichenwald, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2015
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
As opposed to palookas and has-beens and tin cans and stumblebums, a player who got waived departed with his dignity intact.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2018
Gerald Ford, for all his stumblebum image, was a Yale Law School graduate and veteran of legislative details.
—James Fallows, The Atlantic, 20 July 2017
The physicians lining up with Teirstein are not a bunch of stumblebums afraid of a few tests.
—Kurt Eichenwald, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumblebum
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Many weekend duffers buy their equipment at Dick’s Sporting Goods .—
Tom Rotunno,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Prior to 2023, when the streamer hosted its first live sports event—the Netflix Cup featured F1 drivers and pro duffers squaring off in a nine-hole match—the company brass were adamant about staying out of that lane.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This marks his first big-league season getting to truly be an everyday player, even when a southpaw is on the mound, and the 28-year-old slugger has held his own.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Leading off the inning, the slugger drove a changeup 363 feet to left field, with the ball hitting the top of the wall.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
At Amazon’s Upfront event in New York City in May, Lonnie Ali and Jordan introduced Jaalen Best, who will play Clay/Muhammad Ali in the boxer’s formative years.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Kai Parham plays Ali’s brother and fellow boxer Rudy.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
14 June 2026
Noun
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But Ford had stripped these two unpainted entries down to the chassis, like prizefighters shedding final pounds before weigh-in.—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
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The explosive jazz‑rock pianist – known for redefining piano performance with the physicality of a prizefighter and the swagger of a rock guitarist – is set to turn the DIA’s auditorium into something closer to a sonic combustion chamber.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Antonoff of the early Bleachers albums was pop’s pint-sized pugilist, muscling his way to the front of the pack.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
30 May 2026
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In terms of skippers, our Frank Selee might rightly be considered more philosopher than a pugilist.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
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His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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Galen, known as the father of modern medicine, started out as a doctor for gladiators—the equivalent of a residency on The Pitt.—
Cullen Murphy,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Soon my entire feed was pugs and poodles and beagles and portmanteau blends with absurd names like golden doodle and cavapoo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Breeds with breathing issues — including bulldogs, pugs, boxers, Boston terriers and Persian cats — are also more susceptible to heat illness, state health officials said.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumblebum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumblebum. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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