Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of palooka 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 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 The jokes, by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser, have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka. Michael O'Sullivan, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017 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
  • Remember: Without the stunning moment when the boat kisses that frozen hulk, this Best Picture winner is just another Romeo and Juliet knockoff.
    EW Staff Published, EW.com, 3 July 2025
  • Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain.
    David Petitti, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But just like the dollars that will stay in many taxpayers' pockets and add $3.8 trillion to the national debt, there are large sums for industry packed into the 870-page law, making several winners and losers.
    Jim Sergent, USA Today, 11 July 2025
  • For investors, developers, and tenants, the message is clear: The forthcoming shakeout from America’s return to office will create distinct winners and losers, with the South leading the way into recovery.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • The grill has a large hopper, which Masterbuilt claims holds up to 12 hours’ worth of lump charcoal, and feeds the heat to the cook chamber via a fan.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 3 July 2025
  • Stay away from any watermelons that are shiny, unevenly shaped, or have visible damage, including bruises, cuts, soft spots, bulges, or lumps.
    Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • The toilet does the heavy work automatically with an electromechanical system, so all the owner of said waste has to do is grab the sealed, odorless bag and drop it in the garbage, much like a mutt mitt.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 May 2025
  • Remember when this series started, the Nuggets were heavy underdogs, viewed as mutts.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2025
  • Matthias Schoenaerts signed on as the film's villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, in September 2024, per Deadline, and a few months later, Jason Momoa confirmed his casting as the violent intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo.
    Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • An evil clown turned serial killer who terrorizes a fictional New York City borough during Halloween and Christmas will join a maniacal lineup of murderers, mutants and monsters during this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 10 July 2025
  • White-stripe nails Circus-stripe nails Just like a striped Big Top tent, this circus set is complete with stars and clowns.
    Dominic Cadogan, Glamour, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Birds nest beneath Wright’s generous eaves, skunks burrow into foundations, and spiders spin webs on geometric architectural details.
    The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
  • Austin Wildlife Rescue has taken in over 120 animals since the weekend including baby squirrels, skunks and turtles.
    Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 11 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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