as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
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Recent Examples of palooka
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
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
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
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
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
-
The hulk of metal moved silently through space, high above the blue Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2025
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Having boy hulk Matthew Knies at the net front, to retrieve pucks and be a pain for the defence, is one positive step that’s been working.—
James Mirtle,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Health care reform always creates winners and losers.—
Caitlin Owens,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Monthly winners and losers: This brings us to our February winners and losers.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Stay for dinner with weekly specials including lobster ravioli and squid ink fettuccine with lump crab meat.—
Samantha Nelson,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
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The extensive menu is accented by all kinds of coastal favorites—from the popular she-crab soup and Charleston-style lump crab cakes to jambalaya and lobster bisque.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The British Ministry of Defence's answer is using the mechanical mutts to make detecting and defusing bombs safer and more efficient.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
5 Feb. 2025
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The article begins: Heather Massey brought Ladybird to the veterinarian when the 9-year-old mutt began having seizures.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There are spells, curses, vendettas, a twist villain, giant dragons who turn into humanoid warriors and many other creatures populating the world of this gargantuan feat of eye-popping computer animation.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
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Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.—
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Robert Pattinson recalls lying on live TV about seeing clown die in car explosion as a kid: 'What on Earth?' Pattinson also surprised audiences at the convention, making an unannounced appearance alongside his director.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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These clowns dressed as presidents appear immature and narcissistic.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Cornell University’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health expert Jenny Bloodgood told NBC News that she’s seen a fox, a skunk, a possum and a bobcat test positive for the virus in New York State, indicating the bug could be mutating.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Medium-sized animals like skunks, bobcats and foxes also did not vanish.—
Anton Sorokin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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