as in hitting
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
sick of being insulted, he swung around and clocked his tormentor hard enough to knock him off his bar stool
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Recent Examples of clocking
As a prison guard clocking tons of hours who didn’t enjoy cooking, the convenience and quickness of McDonald’s appealed to Gorske.
—
Amanda Hancock, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Another budget-minded Chromebook at a serious price drop, the IdeaPad Slim 3i is lightweight and features epic battery life, clocking in at over 15 hours.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
With that landing, the mission came to a close, clocking more than 700,237 statute miles, said Artemis II entry flight director Rick Henfling.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
The mood was one of general optimism; annual domestic box office revenue was still clocking in at north of $11 billion despite the rise of streaming.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Not just two All-Star co-workers clocking in for a shift.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
After all, clocking someone's voice isn't the only way to guess who's under each oddly decadent mask.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
The first thing that struck me was the gold necklace’s incredibly lightweight nature, clocking in at just 25 grams.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2026
Imagine clocking off an hour earlier every single day and still taking home the same salary.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Amanda Hancock, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Another budget-minded Chromebook at a serious price drop, the IdeaPad Slim 3i is lightweight and features epic battery life, clocking in at over 15 hours.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
With that landing, the mission came to a close, clocking more than 700,237 statute miles, said Artemis II entry flight director Rick Henfling.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
The mood was one of general optimism; annual domestic box office revenue was still clocking in at north of $11 billion despite the rise of streaming.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Not just two All-Star co-workers clocking in for a shift.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
After all, clocking someone's voice isn't the only way to guess who's under each oddly decadent mask.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
The first thing that struck me was the gold necklace’s incredibly lightweight nature, clocking in at just 25 grams.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2026
Imagine clocking off an hour earlier every single day and still taking home the same salary.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clocking
Verb
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Read was accused of hitting O'Keefe with her SUV during a blizzard after a night of heavy drinking and leaving him to die in the snow outside of a Canton home.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israel struck three teams of paramedics Wednesday in southern Lebanon, first hitting one team and then two more that rushed to help.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier on Tuesday, the rapper was accused in a new lawsuit of punching a man two years ago at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Surveillance video shown to CBS News Philadelphia shows the suspect repeatedly punching Ballou.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bridgewater Police Officer Marc-Stephen Hutchins then arrived and started knocking on the door as well.—
Penny Kmitt,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Stockyards is knocking it out of the park, the Near Southside is growing with hospital and hotel development, and new construction is under way in the West 7th District, Taft said.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But there’s more to at-home extensions than slapping them on the crown of your head and heading out the door.—
Hunter Lacey,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2026
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That means going beyond slapping a flag on packaging in November.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stand on the corner banging pots and pans.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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The Canucks took a 2-1 lead on a power play 52 seconds into the middle frame, banging home the loose puck off Brock Boeser’s shot past Kuemper for his 22nd.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On one side, people are slamming Bieber’s performance, describing it as lazy and underwhelming, despite his reportedly high paycheck for the gig.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Apr. 2026
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In security camera footage of her killing posted on the Department of Homeland Security's X feed, the man can be seen repeatedly slamming the hammer into a black vehicle parked in front of the gas station.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Berfield — who played Reese, Dewey's older brother — watches the tween get picked on by a group of bullies before turning and smacking them with his bag.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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During the eclipse, as the moon was cloaked in darkness, the crew members spotted flashes of light from meteoroids smacking into the lunar surface.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tornado sirens, cell phone alerts, high winds and pounding rain woke up Michigan residents as severe weather pushed through the state overnight Tuesday.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Visitors can enjoy heart-pounding adventures like zip lining through the forest canopy, rock climbing on the gorge’s steep cliffs, and whitewater rafting on the New River’s epic Class I to V rapids.—
Jordan Charbonneau,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clocking. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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