as in yammering
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1
as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
you don't have to jaw me to death just because I bite my nails
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chatting
to engage in casual or rambling conversation
just a group of girls sitting around the locker room and jawing about the usual stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jawing
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The two players had been going at each other throughout the game, with multiple videos capturing the two jawing at each other.
—Matt Schubert, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Later came the jawing, with Kelsey Plum, with Natasha Cloud.
—Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
There was some punching, a ton of pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, too, as the scrum spread across the grass.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
There was some pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, and officials threw six flags as the chaos ensued.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, there was an undercurrent of malevolence coming from the Sabres’ Mason Geertsen (6-foot-5, 231 pounds), who got into a couple of jawing matches with 6-foot-7, 255-pound Nikita Zadorov, but nothing came of it.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Despite some discouraging downward trends, all the prefatory jawing could go a long way toward siphoning off a fair number of viewers who might otherwise be locked in on the NFL.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
All of the jawing between the two teams resulted in Jimmy and Jey challenging Reed and Breakker to a tag team match for Wrestlepalooza.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
After Hawks center Tony Bradley was called for an offensive foul for setting a hard screen on Alvarado, the veteran McCollum got into it with the scrappy Knicks guard, jawing face-to-face in a moment that underscored the growing chippiness in the series.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Men’s coaches yelling, jawing, getting in each other’s faces.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
In the closing seconds of the first, Pierre-Luc Dubois rammed Travis Sanheim just in front of the Flyers bench, Zegras came flying in to defend him, and a scrum ensued that included Wilson and Travis Konecny pushing and shoving and jawing with one another.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawkins joked that Heckel is usually the instigator of any trash talk between them, but there hasn’t been much jawing ahead of Monday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
The tongue-in-cheek beef culminated in a verbal volley at the flag football draft with Gronkowski jawing at Paul while balancing a paper plate stacked with hors d’oeuvres and Paul shouting back over the head of 5-foot-5 comedian Kevin Hart, who somehow found himself in the role of peacemaker.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Baker-Mazara dribbled into consecutive 3-point shots, jawing with the UCLA student section while running back on defense.
—Aaron Heisen, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Minutes later, Wilson and Crinon were jawing near France’s net.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
Another clip showed Brown jawing toward Sirianni and being held back by his teammates.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The two players had been going at each other throughout the game, with multiple videos capturing the two jawing at each other.
—Matt Schubert, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Later came the jawing, with Kelsey Plum, with Natasha Cloud.
—Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
There was some punching, a ton of pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, too, as the scrum spread across the grass.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
There was some pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, and officials threw six flags as the chaos ensued.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, there was an undercurrent of malevolence coming from the Sabres’ Mason Geertsen (6-foot-5, 231 pounds), who got into a couple of jawing matches with 6-foot-7, 255-pound Nikita Zadorov, but nothing came of it.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Despite some discouraging downward trends, all the prefatory jawing could go a long way toward siphoning off a fair number of viewers who might otherwise be locked in on the NFL.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
All of the jawing between the two teams resulted in Jimmy and Jey challenging Reed and Breakker to a tag team match for Wrestlepalooza.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Want to cover your mouth while jawing with an opponent?
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
After Hawks center Tony Bradley was called for an offensive foul for setting a hard screen on Alvarado, the veteran McCollum got into it with the scrappy Knicks guard, jawing face-to-face in a moment that underscored the growing chippiness in the series.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Men’s coaches yelling, jawing, getting in each other’s faces.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
In the closing seconds of the first, Pierre-Luc Dubois rammed Travis Sanheim just in front of the Flyers bench, Zegras came flying in to defend him, and a scrum ensued that included Wilson and Travis Konecny pushing and shoving and jawing with one another.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawkins joked that Heckel is usually the instigator of any trash talk between them, but there hasn’t been much jawing ahead of Monday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
The tongue-in-cheek beef culminated in a verbal volley at the flag football draft with Gronkowski jawing at Paul while balancing a paper plate stacked with hors d’oeuvres and Paul shouting back over the head of 5-foot-5 comedian Kevin Hart, who somehow found himself in the role of peacemaker.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Baker-Mazara dribbled into consecutive 3-point shots, jawing with the UCLA student section while running back on defense.
—Aaron Heisen, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Minutes later, Wilson and Crinon were jawing near France’s net.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jawing
Noun
-
Thomas, for all his proprietary yammering about his young wards, turns out to have fatally underestimated them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
But ultimately, it's created a lot of yammering and once everyone went to video and once old school mainstream show business started to collapse in on itself, people were really able through bubbles and tribalization, able to build their own show business empires.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a recent video of the evening posted on TikTok, the former couple can be seen chatting amidst the crowd.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director, was seen chatting with other guests, next to Parker.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At Yale, where Garber began her career, Jacques Derrida was a frequent visitor, and Paul de Man might be found down the corridor solemnly lecturing on Nietzsche.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
How do teachers carry on teaching, lecturing, checking homework and having students prepare for assessments, and how do students enjoy the pleasures that extracurricular activities bring?—
Jerald McNair,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pharoah, best known for being a cast member of Saturday Night Live between 2010-2016, had been talking to Fox for a while about hosting a show.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
-
Barack Obama liked talking to The New Yorker’s David Remnick.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Much of the chatter seems to be more about the desperation to complete a first double over Liverpool in a decade.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Despite a L’Oréal sponsorship this time around, there isn’t much makeup chatter in The Devil Wears Prada 2, either—though Hathaway’s near-identical face at 43 is an aesthetic triumph.—
Faran Krentcil,
Allure,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On April 30, the TikTok star, 25, and the Houston Texans wide receiver, 30, were spotted conversing at the Sports Illustrated x Authentic Brands Group party at The Surf Club Restaurant in Miami.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
-
Here, a space for dining, a space for grilling, and a space for conversing around the fire all create a multifaceted entertaining area.—
Marisa Donnelly,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jawing. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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