pummel

verb

pum·​mel ˈpə-məl 

pummeled also pummelled; pummeling also pummelling ˈpə-mə-liŋ 

ˈpəm-liŋ

: pound, beat

Synonyms

• bash
• baste
• bat
• batter
• beat
• belabor
• belt
• birch
• bludgeon
• buffet
• bung up
• club
• curry
• do
• drub
• fib [British]
• flog
• hammer
• hide
• lace
• lambaste
• lambast
• lash
• lather
• lick
• maul
• mess (up)
• paddle
• pelt
• pommel
• pound
• punch out
• rough (up)
• slate
• slog
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• thresh
• thump
• tromp
• wallop
• whale
• whip
• whop
• whap
• whup
• work over

Examples of pummel in a Sentence

pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived

Recent Examples on the Web

Arenado pummeled Megill’s four-seamer 385 feet to left for a walk-off home run, giving the Cardinals a 6-5 win. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Last summer a Russian missile pummeled her workplace, the national children’s hospital in Kyiv. —Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 2025

Hurricanes pummel the power grid Hurricane Maria knocked out power to Puerto Rico, causing the largest blackout in U.S. history and second-largest in the world, according to the Rhodium Group, a policy analysis firm. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025

Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017, when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild. —Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of pommel

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pummel

• hummel

Kids Definition

pummel

verb

pum·​mel ˈpəm-əl 

pummeled or pummelled; pummeling or pummelling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: pound entry 3 sense 2a, beat

knead and pummel the dough

2

: to defeat decisively

pummeled the competition