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
  • 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
  • Luka Doncic scored 28 points in three quarters and Austin Reaves added 23 as the Lakers began life after LeBron James with a thrashing of the Warriors, who got 23 points from Stephen Curry to begin his 18th season.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of thrashing
Verb
  • Perhaps the most noteworthy sports figure to battle Parkinson’s was boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The pier-to-pier walk in Southern California’s South Bay was supported by boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, celebrity TV host Brooke Burke, actor Nate Simon and baseball icons Chris Taylor, Kyle Karros and Jared Karros.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 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
  • 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
  • Miao's neighbors in Irvine, California, said about 10 FBI agents serving a search warrant broke into his empty home using a battering ram around noon on Sunday, shortly after Zhang was arrested trying to board a flight to Shanghai.
    — Adam Yamaguchi, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of battering
Verb
  • 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
  • Teens say a traffic altercation with former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant escalated in Southlake, where video shows Bryant slapping a phone out of a teen's hand.
    — Erin Jones, CBS News, 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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