stiff-arm
Americanverb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of stiff-arm
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He played with a small cast on his left hand and was even using that bandaged appendage to stiff-arm defenders.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
Henry added another impressive stiff-arm to his highlight reel filled with them.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2023
A running back who can be so difficult to wrap up that even Ekeler’s drive has a stiff-arm, defensive coordinators NFL-wide are now forced to acknowledge a player every Power Five college ignored.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2022
Fitzpatrick’s 26-yard touchdown reception two minutes later, punctuated by a stiff-arm at the 1-yard line, gave the Leesburg fans hope.
From Washington Post • Nov. 26, 2022
He would do the stiff-arm, back-arch trick that was guaranteed to make whoever was trying to pick him up fall over also.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
