as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
in his sad and lonely old age, he stiff-armed even once-beloved friends
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Recent Examples of stiff-arm
Daniels mustered an escape with a stiff-arm and lateral burst.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Andrew Greif Two stiff-arms and 24 yards later, Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert turned a second-and-1 situation into a touchdown for the Eagles.
—NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
They stiff-arm congressional subpoenas or demands for information with spurious claims of state secrets, executive privilege or unwritten tradition.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
There was more than a grain of truth to the lament by Pence and company that the Democrats in Washington were stiff-arming comprehensive immigration legislation backed by Republicans and the Trump administration.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024
Washington’s offense still controlled the ball and clock enough, however, to stiff-arm the Giants’ late push away.
—Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2024
McIntosh once again showcased his burst and contact balance, fighting through defenders, stiff-arming tacklers and falling forward to generate explosive runs.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 2024
Pearsall turned upfield and raced Antoine Winfield Jr. down the sideline, stiff-arming the Tampa Bay safety and fighting off his tackle to reach the end zone just before being hauled out of bounds.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
In fact, the ghosting of Biden may have to become a stiff-arm from Harris herself in these final days if her bid to block Trump is to have even odds.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Andrew Greif Two stiff-arms and 24 yards later, Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert turned a second-and-1 situation into a touchdown for the Eagles.
—NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
They stiff-arm congressional subpoenas or demands for information with spurious claims of state secrets, executive privilege or unwritten tradition.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
There was more than a grain of truth to the lament by Pence and company that the Democrats in Washington were stiff-arming comprehensive immigration legislation backed by Republicans and the Trump administration.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024
Washington’s offense still controlled the ball and clock enough, however, to stiff-arm the Giants’ late push away.
—Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2024
McIntosh once again showcased his burst and contact balance, fighting through defenders, stiff-arming tacklers and falling forward to generate explosive runs.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 2024
Pearsall turned upfield and raced Antoine Winfield Jr. down the sideline, stiff-arming the Tampa Bay safety and fighting off his tackle to reach the end zone just before being hauled out of bounds.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
In fact, the ghosting of Biden may have to become a stiff-arm from Harris herself in these final days if her bid to block Trump is to have even odds.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-arm
Verb
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The apparent détente marks a drastic departure in U.S. policy toward the Kremlin: The Biden White House had sought to isolate and sanction Russia over its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
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Being a primary caregiver for any child in the U.S. is inherently challenging, stressful, isolating, and a full-time job.—
Rachelle Rutherford,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Arctic air will blast across the the Midwest with subzero wind chill temperatures and stiff northwesterly winds, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA TODAY,
11 Dec. 2024
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Yip says features and design elements, everything like a pocket placement to how a jacket may work with gloves—or even how smooth or stiff the zipper sliding action is—is all under consideration when designing.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes,
12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Never the favorite of his party's professional advisers, Merz was twice rejected as Merkel's successor as party leader, in 2018 and 2021, before his doggedness won out in 2022.—
Thomas Escritt,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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Today, far-right parties like the AfD seek to embrace a different model that rejects political integration in favor of an economic union along the lines of earlier, postwar integration.—
TIME,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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These same, once skeptical business leaders rallied around Trump in 2017 but were repulsed by many of his words and actions within eight months, withdrawing support, not returning to give him a second chance until now.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
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Western publics by and large have managed to stave off compassion fatigue and remain committed to helping Ukraine repulse the Russian invasion.—
Nina Jankowicz,
Foreign Affairs,
4 May 2023
Verb
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People will chew on the Broadway first of an Othello directed and lead-produced by black men—Leon and Brian Anthony Moreland, respectively—and cut their assumptions about that to fit their pre-existing views.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2025
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Second half Utah cut the deficit to one after outscoring Sacramento 13-5 to start the second half, but the Kings responded with an 11-1 run to push the lead back to double digits.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The men in Izzy’s life each represent a world to her, so she’s initially drawn to a successful uptown author (Jeroen Krabbé) and repelled by Sam’s working class surroundings.—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
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Still in the throes of grief, Bridget has yet to return to the dating scene and is, at first, repelled by the thought of it.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
TIME,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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It should be noted that Hurts didn’t join the Eagles until 2002 – over two years after the team and Trump snubbed each other.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
7 Feb. 2025
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Challengers, notably snubbed by the Oscars, and A Real Pain, each won two awards, but one of the Real Pain honors was a tie for the best comedy win with Deadpool & Wolverine.—
Hilary Lewis,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But don’t slight Southern California’s earlier signature trees.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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More than 65 breweries will be present, and while San Diego is slighted — the only local in the lineup is North Park Beer Co. — this is a heavy-hitting group: Russian River, Trillium, Garage Project, Three Floyds, Cellarmaker, Alchemist and the like.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arm. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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