maul 1 of 2

verb

Definition of maulnext
1
as in to abuse
to abuse physically demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up

Synonyms & Similar Words

maul

2 of 2

noun

as in hammer

Related Words

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 maul
Verb
And, a year ago, a 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by four dogs in Miami Gardens. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026 Also in June, a woman was mauled by a shark at one of Australia's most popular beaches in Sydney. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
The half ended with the Free Jacks once again putting the Sabercats under pressure, trying to force their way over the tryline through a rolling maul, and twice failing to score. — Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 Minutes later, Hanover scored back-to-back tries with near identical mauls down the sideline. — Marcello Rossetti, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for maul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maul
  1. abuse
  2. lick
  3. hammer
  4. attack
  5. pound
  6. sledgehammer
  7. manhandle
  8. lash
Verb
  • After teenage boys first reported that they had been abused in 2005, Church of the Resurrection conducted an internal investigation that court records show was inconclusive.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Acton’s campaign on Tuesday posted a video of her brother, who supported her backstory about living in a tent and being abused.
    — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • Occupying a particularly picturesque and secluded stretch of headland, where Aleppo pines drape rocky coves and the cerulean Mediterranean waves lick the similarly shaded horizon, the resort is the hospitality group’s first foray into the Balearics.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Some wagged their tails as people approached, licked their hands and even liked to be petted.
    — Alida de Flamingh, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of lick
Noun
  • Little Neil mustered his courage and brought a hammer down on the bird.
    — S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ever since the Dodgers dropped a billion-dollar hammer on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the rest of baseball has melted down.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of hammer
Verb
  • Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • When Louise would remember the show decades later, the audience was always so electric that the room exploded into stamping feet and pounding fists.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound
Noun
  • The Europol report, meanwhile, revealed that these heists are increasingly using tools such as sledgehammers, axes, crowbars –– and even explosives.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In 2024 its activists broke into a factory owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK, smashing equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of sledgehammer
Verb
  • He got stuffed by double-team blocks and turned away by larger Toronto wings, who manhandled the slighter forward in his attempts to create downhill momentum.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Dallas Cowboys were manhandled by the Green Bay Packers 23-13 on Sunday night to drop to 2-4 this season.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of manhandle
Verb
  • Trump lashed out again on Wednesday when taking questions on his way to Marine One heading to the South Carolina trip.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lash

Browse Nearby Words

maudlin
maul
mauled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maul. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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