Skip to main content
schlepper

schlepper

1 9.9
A person who is awkward and often drops things when they carry them
  • noun
  • /ˈʃlɛpər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : patoso

Examples

  • Once I was a schlepper

  • But I'm just a two-cent seltzer schlepper.

  • Still, giving this toy away for free-- that, Dr. towser, is why I am a captain of industry and you are an insignificant schlepper.

  • Lenny's not a schlepper.

  • He was always photographed for publicly standing in front of huge smokestacks or on a loading dock, the only schlepper in Christendom dressed in the latest Italian fashions.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • At the party, he felt like a schlepper, struggling to carry all the bags while everyone else danced.

  • Despite his best efforts, he was often seen as a schlepper, tripping over his own feet during the presentation.

  • When it comes to moving heavy furniture, he always ends up being the schlepper who gets stuck with the heaviest items.

Synonyms

schlemiel
vsschlepper
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person who is often clumsy and makes mistakes

is awkward or clumsy but not necessarily repeatedly bungling
schlep
vsschlepper
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A clumsy person who acts foolishly

focuses more on awkward movement and carrying difficulty than foolishness
clumsy person
vsschlepper
1 3.4

A person who moves awkwardly and often drops or breaks things

adds a sense of foolishness and trouble carrying items beyond clumsiness
shlepper
vsschlepper
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is clumsy and looks a little silly

stresses difficulty moving or carrying items rather than only contempt
shlep
vsschlepper
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is clumsy or foolish

is broader, covering awkward movement and hard carrying as well
gropple
vsschlepper
  • Informal
9.9

A clumsy person who often drops or breaks things

also includes slow or difficult carrying and a foolish quality
looby
vsschlepper
  • Offensive
9.9

A clumsy person who often makes silly mistakes

is the neutral descriptive term without the dated or rude tone

How Clumsy

oaf
  • Offensive
19 6.4
schlepper
  • Offensive
1 9.9
bungler
1 7.8

Surface Forms

schlepper singular
schleppers plural

Etymology

Schlepper comes from Yiddish schlep and the German schleppen, both meaning 'to drag' or 'to carry'. So calling someone a schlepper gives the picture of a person who drags things or moves in a slow, clumsy way, which is why it means an awkward or foolish person.