as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
in his sad and lonely old age, he stiff-armed even once-beloved friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of stiff-arm
Sire Gaines #26 of the Boise State Broncos stiff-arms Kajuan Banks #13 of the South Florida Bulls in the first half of a game at Raymond James Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
—
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Longtime Chargers observers know the player with the best stiff-arm in team history belonged to the incomparable LaDainian Tomlinson.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
With nowhere to distribute the football, Rodgers broke the pocket and scampered to the sideline, stiff-arming Sawyer before ducking out of bounds.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025
Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Longtime Chargers observers know the player with the best stiff-arm in team history belonged to the incomparable LaDainian Tomlinson.
—Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Now fully cleared, Norfleet has been working to avoid unnecessary hits — using stiff-arms or quick cuts instead of always lowering his shoulder — and is focusing on improving his route running through film study and experimentation.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
With nowhere to distribute the football, Rodgers broke the pocket and scampered to the sideline, stiff-arming Sawyer before ducking out of bounds.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025
Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-arm
Verb
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Meanwhile, the headphones, meant to unify the audience in a shared soundscape, instead isolate viewers into their glowing silos, which feels like an ironic choice for a show supposedly about communal grief.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The procedure typically begins with local anesthesia and placement of a rubber dam to isolate the tooth.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Symptoms progress to stiff neck and seizures, as well as cognitive symptoms, like confusion and hallucinations.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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There was frost on the inside of the windows, clothes stiff on the floor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In July 2007, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves after rejecting an eight-year, $140 million contract extension.—
Taylor Millard,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject ceding territory.—
Oleksandra Matviichuk,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Like Einstein, Brassard feels repulsed by the way the particles in the Bell experiment seem to have firsthand awareness of each other despite being separated by, in principle, light-years of space.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
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This is something that finally repulses Ivor, and that Orla also grapples with.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
27 July 2025
Verb
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The junior wideout slipped loose into the secondary, breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown reception as the Harbormen cut things to a 21-13 game.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
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The Fed may have seen the quarter-point interest rate cut on September 17 as necessary because the labor market is flagging.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This creates a protective barrier that repels fingerprints and gives your appliances a sparkling finish.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Sep. 2025
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And can painting cows with zebra stripes help repel biting flies?—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But at the Los Angeles premiere, Baena’s half-siblings appeared to snub him on the red carpet by not posing for photos with him.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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Unfortunately, the drama from Taylor Sheridan was snubbed by the Emmys this year, though Thornton did score a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Tommy.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The former Michigan and San Diego State coach, simply put, has been slighted by the hall.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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While fans welcomed the news, some of the original cast members felt slighted by the timing.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arm. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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