stumblebum

noun

Definition of stumblebumnext
1
as in palooka

Related Words

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2
as in fumbler

Related 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stumblebum
  1. palooka
  2. duffer
  3. slugger
  4. boxer
  5. prizefighter
  6. pugilist
  7. gladiator
  8. pug
Noun
  • Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
  • All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
    — Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
Definition of palooka
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
Definition of duffer
Noun
  • His 42nd homer of the season tied him with Tampa Bay slugger Junior Caminero for second in the AL.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • As the New York Yankees make a final push for October baseball, slugger Aaron Judge is likely to miss most of the remaining regular season.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of slugger
Noun
  • His older brother Vitali, also a former champion boxer, is mayor of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
    — Andrew Dalton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • And my dad’s just this confident Boston College graduate, boxer, businessman.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of boxer
Noun
  • Ali won, but both prizefighters left a part of themselves in that ring.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Among the line-up are several Black Americans, one of whom is Oscar Rankin, a Black prizefighter and preacher, well known in the Black community.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of prizefighter
Noun
  • The 50-year-old Ukrainian pugilist was engaged to Panettiere in 2013 during an on-and-off relationship that lasted nearly a decade.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The group reached the office of Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman from Minneapolis who has a reputation as a political pugilist.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pugilist
Noun
  • The family said the diagnosis likely stems from his racing career — one in which drivers crushed bumpers and raced like gladiators without the safety protections found in the sport now.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The massive structure hosted gladiator games and animal hunts—and remains the largest amphitheater in the world.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of gladiator
Noun
  • Rahtz is on the left, and Farmer is on the right with their pug, Doyle.
    — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026
  • There was so much going on, whether the props department were working on setting up the flowers, setting up the food, the dog trainers were getting the pugs ready, or some of the actors were just hanging out talking.
    — Daisy Leepson, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pug

Browse Nearby Words

stumble
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Cite this Entry

“Stumblebum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumblebum. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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