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boxing

verb

Definition of boxingnext
present participle of box
as in punching
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner his mother threatened to box his ears if he didn't show a bit more respect

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of boxing Eubank Jr was seven years older than Benn, five years further into his professional career and, more pertinently, boxing at middleweight, three weight classes higher than super-lightweight Benn. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Pausing midway through a meal to check in with your hunger is a good rule of thumb, and boxing half of a meal at a restaurant to bring home can also help. — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 If, as Jimmy Connors has said, tennis is boxing at ninety feet—a lonely battle of wills that punishes the slightest lapse in concentration—Eala’s southpaw forehand drives resemble Pacquiao’s blazing left hooks. — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 He was stripped of his heavyweight title, barred from boxing for more than three years and convicted of draft evasion. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 But for Gonzales, the gym has always been about more than boxing. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing world champion, and Panettiere began dating in 2009 and got engaged in October 2013. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 The cemetery is home to Emmett Till, singing icon Dinah Washington and boxing great Ezzard Charles. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 That's my thought and my expectation, but this is boxing and anything can happen. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boxing
  1. punching
  2. hitting
  3. knocking
  4. slapping
  5. slamming
  6. smacking
  7. banging
  8. clapping
Verb
  • Since the turn of the century, car makers have been among the crown jewels of the German economy, punching above their weight in terms of investment and innovation.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • See, the way my thighs are set up, running long distance in a pair of shorty shorts would just mean punching a one-way ticket to Chafe-town.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • Iamaleava looked poised in the pocket, going through multiple reads and hitting pass catchers across the field in an array of spots and formations.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Rising fuel prices caused by the instability at the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits are hitting farmers in parts of the West just as harvest season opens.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • According to court documents, a woman told police that Pace, who was her child’s father, was inside her residence when her boyfriend, Adams, arrived and began knocking loudly on the door.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Next, the door becomes his battering ram, knocking three enemies down to the landing below him.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Canada is slapping hefty counter-tariffs on farm machinery, such as combine parts, mowing equipment and livestock trailers.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • He was asked about the interaction, and briefly talked about seeing all the reaction videos on X, including the AI one with Sarkisian slapping Rowe.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • New physics may only manifest at high-energy levels, the sort of energies that the LHC generates by slamming together protons at near light speed.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Suddenly, a 2004 Ford Expedition barreled into the intersection from the wrong direction at a high rate of speed, slamming into the middle of the bus.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Sox right fielder Tristan Peters suffered a bruised shoulder/rib while banging into the outfield wall on Kevin McGonigle’s three-run triple in the fifth inning.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In 2015, Ben Hiscox died after falling backwards and banging his head on the clubhouse wall during an amateur game at Stoke Gifford, near Bristol.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • The film’s sombre tone and subject matter likely put a damper on the Lido crowd’s reaction, but the movie was well received, with the audience rising for a standing ovation, clapping warmly for four minutes.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Firefighters who weren’t yet being deployed lined the route to the tarmac, hooting and clapping and giving high fives.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of clapping

Browse Nearby Words

box (in)
boxing
boxing (in)
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Cite this Entry

“Boxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boxing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on boxing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boxing

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