as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
he's a bit of a mess, but he says he bunged up the other guy in the fight even worse
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Recent Examples of bung up
Yeah, around Hampstead, driving people crazy with the whistle until it was bunged up and stopped by the sound department.
—
Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bung up
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
-
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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But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This means that bills get hearings, debates happen in public, and legislators are required to vote on issues instead of hiding behind process.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Maybe Mark Kelly and several other dissident members of Congress are hiding the sun in a big bag.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All testers dug the cavernous main compartment, which features stretchy crisscrossing straps that helped lash clothes down, keeping contents organized on the road.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside,
17 Feb. 2026
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Clinton, instead of delivering the usual liberal-candidate-seeks-Black-votes hominy, lashed out at her words.—
Johanna Neuman,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Liam Gagne recorded 24 saves and Billerica rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Milton 3-2 in the first round of the Irish American Shootout.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
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Skincare delivered €551 million in sales and represented 11% of the group’s full-year revenue, beating market expectations.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The goal, supervisors say, is to generate $1 billion per year to backfill the dwindling budgets of local hospitals and clinics battered by federal funding cuts.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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The outdoor industry—and particularly the cycling industry—has been battered by tariffs and declining sales in recent years.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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It’s inspired by a French silk pie, but without any eggs to whip.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
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For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bung up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bung%20up. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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