KNEECAPPING Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

kneecapping

verb

Definition of kneecapping

present participle of kneecap

as in whacking

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kneecapping

Verb

There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.

— Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Yes, there were moments of humor, such as getting magic potions around the campfire at the end of each stage by whacking helpless little elves, but most of it was played straight, to great effect.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of whacking

Verb

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
Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Texas quarterback Arch Manning has apologized for his public reaction to a video that was altered by AI to show Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe and knocking her to the ground.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of slapping

Verb

Iamaleava looked poised in the pocket, going through multiple reads and hitting pass catchers across the field in an array of spots and formations.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Rising fuel prices caused by the instability at the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits are hitting farmers in parts of the West just as harvest season opens.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

Houston will host the Kansas City Royals, owners of the fifth-worst record in baseball, and the Rangers will host the Boston Red Sox, a club on the verge of punching its own ticket to October.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The victim tackled Cunningham and started punching him, and took the gun.

— Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

Sugar puts on a big show, crashing a kid’s birthday party in Vega’s backyard, socking him in the eye for good measure.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 17 July 2026
For some Americans, yes A weather forecast issued on Monday by the NWS shows heavy snow socking the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region this week ahead of Thanksgiving, with some storms poised to strike on the holiday.

— Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

Definition of socking

Verb

Eubank Jr was seven years older than Benn, five years further into his professional career and, more pertinently, boxing at middleweight, three weight classes higher than super-lightweight Benn.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Pausing midway through a meal to check in with your hunger is a good rule of thumb, and boxing half of a meal at a restaurant to bring home can also help.

— Gavin Escott, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of boxing

Verb

The helicopter crashed in a driveway between two warehouses, smashing into a pair of truck cargo containers while the news crew tried grabbing video footage of a serious collision involving a Metro bus that also left two people dead.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
In the rare instances people have spotted, these birds avoid getting stung by smashing the wasps on the ground to break the stingers before finishing their meal.

— Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of smashing

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

kneecapped

kneecapping

kneecaps

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Kneecapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kneecapping. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of kneecapping

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pundit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes