Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mangle are batter, cripple, maim, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When would batter be a good substitute for mangle?

Although the words batter and mangle have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When could cripple be used to replace mangle?

While in some cases nearly identical to mangle, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is maim a more appropriate choice than mangle?

The meanings of maim and mangle largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

Where would mutilate be a reasonable alternative to mangle?

The synonyms mutilate and mangle are sometimes interchangeable, but mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mangle The wreck left the vehicles mangled in the road with one resting slightly on top of a boulder with its rear and passenger side crumpled. Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025 Torrey Pines was the site of his last top-10 finish on the PGA Tour in 2020, a year before Woods badly mangled his right leg in a car crash on a coastal Los Angeles road. Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025 Their family of 11 is living in a tent alongside heaps of concrete and mangled steel that now lie where their home once stood. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 Images showed an uprooted tree smashed into a mobile home while mangled debris littered the streets. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangle
Verb
  • While the pull chain is much easier than trying to fumble with a tiny button, the shade occasionally catches on it when closing.
    Simon Hill, Wired News, 18 June 2025
  • His team had just fumbled a win on the biggest stage, and his eyes wandered.
    Tony East, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Dort may not have picked up a foul on this particular play, part of a special second-half suffocation of Haliburton, but there are other moments like this when an official blows the whistle.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • The trio — who dub themselves the bathroom team in a nod to their past late-night trip to the toilets — hand their keys to Hyun-ju, the natural choice for leader.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025
  • Pitt’s Midcentury Modern home, dubbed the Steel House, is one of several owned by the movie star.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2025
  • And just like that, Donald Trump ruined something else.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Franzoni has seen contracts botched, client briefings skipped, and speakers show up without knowing the audience.
    Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • At the time, the club had badly botched their negotiations with franchise cornerstone Mookie Betts, then let All-Star and fan favorite Xander Bogaerts walk in free agency to San Diego.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • Many were forced to butcher their camels to make ends meet, plunging the population to a low point of 200,000 in Mongolia.
    Matt Dutile, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2025
  • Butcher blocks provide a sturdy base for cutting and butchering meat.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • What to know about the German Shepherd tied to the Karen Read trial Karen Read claims police bungled the investigation.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • Burnett did not relent, and Miramax arguably buried the film, bungling its marketing.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • Kanye West fired multiple PR firms before his antisemitic meltdowns destroyed billion-dollar partnerships with Adidas and Gap.
    Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Indeterminate numbers of casualties have occurred in both Iran and Israel, though Israel's intentions to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities may require U.S. artillery aid in the form of multi-ton bunker buster bombs.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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