lambaste

verb

lam·baste (ˌ)lam-ˈbāst

-ˈbast

ˈlam-ˌbāst,

-ˌbast

variants or lambast

lambasted; lambasting; lambastes or lambasts

Synonyms of lambaste next

transitive verb

: to assault violently : beat, whip

: to attack verbally : censure

critics lambasted his performance

Did you know?

The origins of lambaste are somewhat uncertain, but the word was most likely formed by combining the verbs lam and baste, both of which mean "to beat severely." (The baste functioning here is unrelated to either the sewing or cooking one.) (Incidentally, lambaste can also be spelled lambast, despite the modern spelling of the verb baste.) Some other synonyms of lambaste include pummel, thrash, and pound. Pummel suggests beating with one's fists ("the boxer ruthlessly pummeled his opponent"). Pound also suggests heavy blows, though perhaps not quite so much as pummel, and may imply a continuous rain of blows ("she pounded on the door"). Thrash means to strike repeatedly and thoroughly as if with a whip and is often used figuratively to mean "to defeat decisively or severely" ("the team thrashed their opponent 44-0").

Examples of lambaste in a Sentence

The coach lambasted the team for its poor play. They wrote several letters lambasting the new law.

Recent Examples on the Web The former President this spring lambasted Mr. DeSantis for supporting Paul Ryan’s entitlement reforms while in Congress. —

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2023 The fallout from the subsequent plan of the British king, George III, to see Wilkes put in irons for the crime of being too good at lambasting his own government reverberates today, particularly in the nation whose founders once held Wilkes up as an idol, plotting a revolt of their own. —

WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023 In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday morning, Schumer likewise lambasted the aid legislation. —

Lauren Peller, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023 In a final post that seemed to conclude his rant, Trump lambasted Engoron for being biased due to the gag order and the lack of a jury, both things that were Trump’s own doing. —

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023 In a final post which seemed to conclude his rant, Trump lambasted Engoron for being biased due to the gag order and the lack of a jury, both things that were Trump’s own doing. —

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023 Political commentators lambasted the government, which has fomented unprecedented political dissent in Israel over its judicial overhaul program, for its failure to anticipate what appeared to be a Hamas attack unseen in its level of planning and coordination. —

Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2023 At one point, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) turned to Haley and lambasted her for increasing the state’s gas tax while governor of South Carolina. —

Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023 Pal lambasted Soviet hypocrisy given the Soviet Union’s postwar brutalization of Eastern Europe. —

Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lambaste.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.