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
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Five pitches later, the slugger turned a 3-2 offering into a 405-foot, two-run homer, starting the scoring in what became a 3-0 win for the Yankees.—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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The Japanese slugger, who signed a two-year $34-million deal in December after playing eight seasons (2018-2025) with the Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, made his debut Thursday in the opener, a 14-2 loss, and hit a solo shot.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1-3, last year drew Timothée Chalamet, Gordon Ramsay, DJ Khaled, boxer Evander Holyfield, and Baltimore Ravens’ running back Derrick Henry.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Like boxers in an early round of a bout, both sides spent about the first 20 minutes feeling each other out.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Mustafa Fteja, 54, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court Thursday to obstructing justice, admitting to playing a key role in the bribery plot, which threw Gogic’s trial into disarray and landed the prizefighter’s lawyer in the crosshairs of a federal investigation.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than the usual Rat Pack retro or duffer chic, this hip oasis is a slightly rugged desert escape.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Canadian duffers will probably end up spending about $75 million in rounds this year.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The true-life sports biopic unleashes Leo as Alice, the loud, over-the-top matriarch of a large Boston family and manager mom to Micky Ward, a championship boxing contender trained by his drug-addict pugilist half-brother Dicky.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Boricua pugilist rode a prolonged winning streak heading into his match with Mexican fighter Salvador Sánchez in August 1981.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Thousands of Romans once flocked to this arena to watch gladiators battle each other and wild animals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Researchers using advanced imaging technology have deciphered 79 previously invisible inscriptions — including love notes, drawings of gladiators, and everyday messages — on a wall in the ancient city of Pompeii, offering a rare window into the lives of ordinary people nearly 2,000 years ago.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This frenzy unfolded into a succession of rings, like craps tables at a casino, in which breed competitions were taking place simultaneously—churning packs of basenjis, salukis, Xoloitzcuintlis, whippets, shih tzus, rat terriers, malamutes, and pugs.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Another French influencer—27-year-old blogger Aniss Zitouni, who goes by the account name Aqababe—was one of the first to allege that Schreiner had organized the pug’s disappearance himself.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumblebum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumblebum. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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