: a heavy often wooden-headed hammer used especially for driving wedges
also
: a tool like a sledgehammer with one wedge-shaped end that is used to split wood
mauled; mauling; mauls
mauler
noun
Examples of maul in a Sentence
Verb
A bear killed one hiker and badly mauled the other.
demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Over the past 40 years, Herrero, the lead author, pioneered the practice of applying biological and forensic insight to investigate why black and brown bears attack, maul and sometimes kill people in North America.
—Doug O'Harra, Anchorage Daily News, 11 May 2011
Investigators say nothing was taken and both the ax and the maul belonged to the Krausenecks.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2023
Rest the maul on the wood, then lift it all the way up—your bottom arm should be straight and your top arm slightly bent.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
The broken glass, the seemingly precise placing of that maul. Det.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2023
Instead, place the log on the ground, 5 inches closer than the length of the maul handle.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
Steve Hunt: And there was a door leading into the house that had a pane of glass broken out and there was a maul, which is like a heavier ax, on the ground leaning up against the wall right next to that.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2023
Fiskars Pro IsoCore Generations of log-splitters have felt the sting of a maul handle during missed swings.
—The Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2020
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Of those three incidents, the most recent involved a 35-year-old male who was fatally mauled in 2004 at Whiting Ranch Regional Park in Orange County.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Beau Clark was familiar with the dog, owned by his family's neighbors
An Alabama boy was mauled to death by a dog owned by family friends who live next door to the child's family, according to reports.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Stranded, stalked, and soon to be mauled, the Samuels family must find a way to outwit the lion and make their way back to civilization.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023
Thirteen pit bulls were euthanized, including eight puppies, after the owner is mauled to death.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The outlet also reported that the lion mauled the man to death within 10 minutes.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024
Estimates are that humans have a 1 in 3.7 million chance of being fatally mauled by a shark as a total of just 1,218 shark bites and attacks worldwide have been recorded in the past 47 years, with 14% of them deadly.
—USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Videos of rotten fruit mauled by maggots played in the elevators whisking guests to the 18th floor.
—Vogue, 28 Oct. 2023
Noun
Using the baton technique, the Mora Companion Spark chops wood like a spitting maul.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Over the past 40 years, Herrero, the lead author, pioneered the practice of applying biological and forensic insight to investigate why black and brown bears attack, maul and sometimes kill people in North America.
—Doug O'Harra, Anchorage Daily News, 11 May 2011
Investigators say nothing was taken and both the ax and the maul belonged to the Krausenecks.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2023
Rest the maul on the wood, then lift it all the way up—your bottom arm should be straight and your top arm slightly bent.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
The broken glass, the seemingly precise placing of that maul. Det.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2023
Instead, place the log on the ground, 5 inches closer than the length of the maul handle.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
Steve Hunt: And there was a door leading into the house that had a pane of glass broken out and there was a maul, which is like a heavier ax, on the ground leaning up against the wall right next to that.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2023
Fiskars Pro IsoCore Generations of log-splitters have felt the sting of a maul handle during missed swings.
—The Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2020
Verb
Two brothers who were enthusiastic outdoorsmen were identified Monday as the victims mauled by a mountain lion in Northern California this weekend in what appears to be the first fatal cougar attack in the Golden State in two decades.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Of those three incidents, the most recent involved a 35-year-old male who was fatally mauled in 2004 at Whiting Ranch Regional Park in Orange County.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Beau Clark was familiar with the dog, owned by his family's neighbors
An Alabama boy was mauled to death by a dog owned by family friends who live next door to the child's family, according to reports.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Stranded, stalked, and soon to be mauled, the Samuels family must find a way to outwit the lion and make their way back to civilization.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023
Thirteen pit bulls were euthanized, including eight puppies, after the owner is mauled to death.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The outlet also reported that the lion mauled the man to death within 10 minutes.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024
Estimates are that humans have a 1 in 3.7 million chance of being fatally mauled by a shark as a total of just 1,218 shark bites and attacks worldwide have been recorded in the past 47 years, with 14% of them deadly.
—USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Videos of rotten fruit mauled by maggots played in the elevators whisking guests to the 18th floor.
—Vogue, 28 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near maul
Cite this Entry
“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maul. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maul
1 of 2 noun
: a heavy hammer often with a wooden head used especially for driving wedges or posts
maul
2 of 2 verb
mauler
noun
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