as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
the elderly woman pommeled the would-be thief with her handbag until he begged for mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pommel
There are pommel horses, vertical bars and all the other equipment that populates a gymnastics school.
—
Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, 28 June 2021
It’s the first alpine ski area at Hatcher Pass — long a destination for cross country skiers — since the 1970s, when there was a rope tow and pommel lift at Independence Mine.
—Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Dec. 2020
Not surprisingly, the five fastest serves ever recorded were pommeled by players 6-foot-4 or bigger.
—Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 12 July 2019
The President’s $17 million home on the island of St. Martin, Le Chateau des Palmiers, was pommeled by Irma days earlier as the then-Category 5 storm wreaked havoc on several Caribbean islands.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE.com, 12 Sep. 2017
Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, 28 June 2021
It’s the first alpine ski area at Hatcher Pass — long a destination for cross country skiers — since the 1970s, when there was a rope tow and pommel lift at Independence Mine.
—Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Dec. 2020
Not surprisingly, the five fastest serves ever recorded were pommeled by players 6-foot-4 or bigger.
—Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 12 July 2019
The President’s $17 million home on the island of St. Martin, Le Chateau des Palmiers, was pommeled by Irma days earlier as the then-Category 5 storm wreaked havoc on several Caribbean islands.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE.com, 12 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pommel
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even then, though, leadership didn’t whip against the bill, which ultimately passed with seven Democrats voting in favor.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor took to social media Thursday to lash out at bystanders who record police encounters and critics of law enforcement, following a violent Wednesday crime spree that ended with a suspect dead and a police officer wounded.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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But the evidence suggests that people who rely on bursts of venting tend to stay angrier for longer, and are more likely to lash out aggressively.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As my colleague Adam Serwer has written, many Minnesotans are engaging in protests and efforts to deliver food and supplies to families in hiding.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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Asked whether the 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 17 might have gone a different way had Diogo Dalot been red-carded in the 11th minute for a knee-high foul on Jeremy Doku, Guardiola was insistent that his Manchester City team could not hide behind the decision.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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For now, however, the first part of the season mostly succeeds at balancing power dynamics and pulse-pounding romance, with a major assist from the warm and hot chemistry between season leads Luke Thompson and series newbie Yerin Ha.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Playing on tour with Elvis Costello, the Clash, and the Cars, they’d been pelted with shoes, coins, and even knives.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
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Mason Lake, a photojournalist who has been exposed to various crowd-control tactics while covering protests in Portland, Oregon, said getting hit with pepper balls feels similar to being pelted with paintballs.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That has certainly been the case for some consumers, battered by inflation, tariffs and high borrowing costs that have sparked an affordability crisis.—
Mari Sato The Dallas Morning News,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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Xcel cut power to about 9,000 customers in mid-January when high winds battered northern Colorado.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The lineup is very left-handed, with six regulars who bat from that side of the plate.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
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Several years later in 1871, Whipple went to bat again for the rights of the Ojibwe and Dakota people when the US wanted to end treaties with Native Americans, McNally said.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pommel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pommel. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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