as in hammering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bashing
Verb
-
Then there was an inactive Georgia player getting too excited on Arian Smith’s 63-yard catch and run and bumping into a side judge; Smart said normally that would result in a warning, but this Big 12 crew went for the 15-yard penalty.—
Seth Emerson,
The Athletic,
2 Jan. 2025 -
The Heat were readying to inbound a pass in the backcourt while up by four points in the final 36 seconds when Thompson and Herro began bumping each other.—
Kelly Iko,
The Athletic,
29 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Hundreds of drones being used as part of a Saturday night aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
23 Dec. 2024
-
His endorsement of the AfD came alongside a video of a far-right German commentator slamming the leading candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Jared Harris is the best movie John ever, licking his lips and sucking his teeth; Aidan Quinn is the best movie Paul.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Boston, Cleveland, and New York are licking their chops, ready to feast on a Bucks team missing its point guard, its bench leader, and its identity.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities recently launched a campaign attacking the governor for allowing the state’s overreliance on property taxes to worsen and for seeking to slash summer work programs that assist the state’s troubled youths.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The early glimpses show a player with real potential in the attacking third, capable of thriving in transition and striking well at goal.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Before the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton trails Leclerc by 25 points and is losing the qualifying battle 1-8 in a complete thrashing.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
Inter Milan, meanwhile, must bounce back after the thrashing at the hands of PSG in the Champions League final.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
But the unhappy ending is especially head-pounding for Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Queen finished with a team-best 17 points, but Maryland frequently settled for outside jumpers instead of pounding the ball inside to Queen and Julian Reese.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
On York Boulevard in Los Angeles, a blurred black hole hangs on a dark wall, joined only by a pair of headphones playing looping echoes of its siblings colliding.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
4 Jan. 2025
-
The two have appeared to be colliding once again, this time involving the rapper Drake and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Bashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bashing. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share