Meanings
plural palookas
- USslangA stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
1 more example
What’s more, Friends offers someone for everyone: a tall, dorky, insecure guy (David Schwimmer); a ditzy, guitar-strumming blonde (Lisa Kudrow); a handsome, jean-clad palooka (Matt LeBlanc); a sarcastic, 9-to-5-ing funnyman ([Matthew] Perry); a dark-haired, blue-eyed Veronica (Courteney Cox); and a spoiled suburban princess just finding her legs ([Jennifer] Aniston).
1996 March 7, Rich Cohen, “Jennifer Aniston: The Girl Friend”, in Rolling Stone - USetcboxingSomeone incompetent or untalented.
Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend? Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.
1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction1 more example
But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.
1923 March, Lincoln Star, Nebraska
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch knuppel, klungel
- knuppelstupid, oafish or clumsy person
- klungelstupid, oafish or clumsy person
Finnish palikka
- palikkastupid, oafish or clumsy person
Polish cham, prostak
- chamstupid, oafish or clumsy person
- prostakstupid, oafish or clumsy person
- prostaczkastupid, oafish or clumsy person
Cite this entry
palooka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palooka
“palooka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palooka. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “palooka,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palooka.
Source: palooka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.