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
-
Even fellow Japanese slugger Shohei Ohtani — a four-time MVP — can’t make that claim.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The health of the 27-year-old slugger is the priority.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Every day, visitors from around the world make their way to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art — not necessarily for the galleries inside, but for a statue of a fictional boxer from South Philadelphia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That's right, rapper 50 Cent (né Curtis Jackson) is set to appear in Street Fighter as the boxer Balrog.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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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The former sent out an oversized black and white polka dot skirt—a wink to the retro print—styled with a textured top and gladiator sandals, while Dries Van Noten’s red and white abstract set evoked Mediterranean nonchalance.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Female gladiators were so rare there was no name for them in Latin or Greek.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His pug, Thor, lives with Brenda’s sister.—
Nichole Manna,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2026
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Dog breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs now have significantly altered skull shapes that result in serious, and even life-threatening, issues created by our value of aesthetics.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stumblebum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stumblebum. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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