1
as in bumping
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the car bashed into the tree with glass-shattering force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slamming
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
you have to bash that door hard in order to get it open
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the angry child kept bashing her toy with a hammer until it broke
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
in all of talk radio no other host seems to enjoy bashing liberals as much as he does
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hammering
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bashing
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Trump’s 70-minute remarks resembled those from a campaign event, touting his accomplishments and bashing his political rivals, but to an eerily quiet audience of military brass.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
In the email, Ferguson apologized for publicly bashing Epstein, who was sent to prison three years prior for soliciting a minor for prostitution, in an interview.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
As Extinct Animals notes, one such attempt was quashed when a lone stallion killed itself after losing its temper and bashing its own head into a wall.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump has also been critical of the central bank, calling for lower interest rates and bashing Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
The young defense that everyone with a microphone and stable internet connection has spent time bashing over the last nine months finally had its turn to speak.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
The wife of King Charles III fought off a groper as a teenager by taking off her shoe and bashing the assailant in the groin.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
That night, the wind was bashing against the loft window like an intruder, adding a soundtrack to my hallucination.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
In 2025, for all the play’s bickering and bashing, the eventual trajectory of Art feels almost saccharine.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Collier took the podium for her postseason exit interview with reporters on Tuesday, beginning the press conference with a lengthy prepared statement bashing WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and league leadership.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Trump’s 70-minute remarks resembled those from a campaign event, touting his accomplishments and bashing his political rivals, but to an eerily quiet audience of military brass.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
In the email, Ferguson apologized for publicly bashing Epstein, who was sent to prison three years prior for soliciting a minor for prostitution, in an interview.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
As Extinct Animals notes, one such attempt was quashed when a lone stallion killed itself after losing its temper and bashing its own head into a wall.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump has also been critical of the central bank, calling for lower interest rates and bashing Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
The young defense that everyone with a microphone and stable internet connection has spent time bashing over the last nine months finally had its turn to speak.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
The wife of King Charles III fought off a groper as a teenager by taking off her shoe and bashing the assailant in the groin.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
That night, the wind was bashing against the loft window like an intruder, adding a soundtrack to my hallucination.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bashing
Verb
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This boundary-breaking dance drama follows Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) in a wrong-side-of-the-tracks romantic entanglement that all starts with a rousing night of bumping and grinding.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Only 11% of drivers in the study admitted to violent road rage behaviors in the last year, such as bumping other cars on purpose or confronting other drivers.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In fact, the mischievous pup led his owner directly to the scene of the crime by licking his lips constantly, which seemed awfully curious.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Bear 856 is also a large, male brown bear, who is easily identifiable to park rangers due to the animal's unusual habit of licking his lips — a behavior not typically observed in brown bears.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Teams found a way to negate Forest’s counter-attacking style.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
And more so than most nights, the Bengals' offensive identity for a long first-half stretch seemed to hinge on attacking quick underneath routes to open up shots to Higgins -- or Chase -- on Moss.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That support is under pressure amid Israeli forces’ continued hammering of Gaza, causing starvation and dislocation for its surviving residents.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Leeds’ 1-0 win against Everton at Elland Road was followed by a 5-0 hammering at the Emirates and a stalemate against Newcastle.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For many, banging them in against the likes of Konyaspor and Goztepe last term is not a convincing retort to those questions.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In a trial that began Wednesday, six Cubans, including independent journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea, also face sentences of up to nine years in prison for staging a cacerolazo protest, banging pots and pans during a blackout in the Villa Clara province in November 2024.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By slapping a $100,000 filing fee on H=1B visas, the White House has declared the days of cheap labor pipelines and visa abuse officially over.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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On the knee-to-knee collision between each team’s superstar, Collier badly rolled her left ankle and was lying on the floor and slapping the court with her hand as Thomas made her drive.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Layered with live jazz and pounding percussion from experimental duo Robin Schulkowsky and Joey Baron, the result gave Hedda an extra pulse.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
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My heart was pounding in my chest and in my ears.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bashing. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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