cudgeling 1 of 2

noun

variants or cudgelling
as in thrashing

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cudgeling

2 of 2

verb

variants or cudgelling
present participle of cudgel
as in boxing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cudgeling
  1. thrashing
  2. boxing
  3. hammering
  4. smacking
  5. pounding
  6. whacking
  7. battering
  8. slapping
Noun
  • Styles mirrors the pounding percussion of the song with full-bodied thrashing.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Earlier, Como followed up its 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United in the Champions League with a comfortable 2-0 win over Sassuolo thanks to a Tasos Douvikas double.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of thrashing
Verb
  • Back in the ring Ali briefly retired from boxing at age 37 in 1979, but returned the following year to fight Larry Holmes.
    — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But one wrinkle that has challenged Giddey is the expectation of boxing out that Splitter has placed upon backcourt players.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of boxing
Noun
  • Neocloud stocks have taken a hammering over the past month, with CoreWeave and Nebius down more than 30% while Iren has tanked 40%.
    — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The butt of the Axvant is designed to double as a mallet, mostly for knocking in tent stakes and taking care of other basic, non-precision hammering.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of hammering
Verb
  • But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of smacking
Noun
  • Rucking targets both at once without the joint pounding of running or the recovery debt of hard gym sessions.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
  • Rutted migration routes, carved by the constant pounding of animal hooves, littered northern Pennsylvania.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • In fact, Abdi recommends against mowing and weed whacking near tree roots in general.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 1 Nov. 2026
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of whacking
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Republican leaders moved swiftly to assert authority within their party with analyses and prescriptions after Tuesday’s battering.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Tommy breaks them out by using Vision as a battering ram, but Paladin is waiting outside to blast Vision with a shotgun full of adamantium rounds.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of battering
Verb
  • Gabby Williams hopped off a double-decker bus and began dancing through the streets, blowing a whistle to the beat and slapping high-fives with fans all while keeping her WNBA Finals MVP trophy safely tucked in her left arm.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Jamie Love is swaying, slapping a hand against her thigh to keep time, and mouthing along to the music that plays from a set of portable speakers.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of slapping
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cudgeled one's brains (about)
cudgeling
cudgeling one's brains (about)
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Cite this Entry

“Cudgeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgeling. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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