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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maul
Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Three years ago, a pack of dingoes mauled a 23-year-old jogger in an attack police said was almost fatal.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Using the baton technique, the Mora Companion Spark chops wood like a spitting maul.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for maul
Verb
The family’s oldest child was once forced to watch her cat be mauled to death by feral dogs after she was caught taking food out of the pantry without permission.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Three years ago, a pack of dingoes mauled a 23-year-old jogger in an attack police said was almost fatal.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Cama’s 7-point try box came in the 74th minute and was a result of the Legion muscling their way to a series of successful scrums, mauls and rucks before Cama punched it over inside the 5-meter line area.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Using the baton technique, the Mora Companion Spark chops wood like a spitting maul.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for maul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maul
Verb
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Now that Democrats have control and have adopted a similar playbook, Republicans accuse them of abusing their power.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Women who had experienced economic abuse from an intimate partner were significantly more likely to commit suicide than other abused women whose cases the report analysed.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The dog ignored him, and licked the boy’s face.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Costco recommends wrapping it in a towel and smashing it into pieces with a hammer.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
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Clean spilled paint from the lid before closing, and use a hammer to tightly close the can.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iranian drones attacked its exclave of Nakhchivan and damaged an airport building.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
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But threats from Iran to attack any ships in the region outweigh the promises of support.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Glass removed violins from the orchestra to achieve a dark, primordial orchestral sound along with pounding percussion.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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In the past 24 hours, Israel conducted more strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut and continues to pound Tehran.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kirn Young Kim, then 16, wasn’t in the garage where his friends beat Tay to death with baseball bats and a sledgehammer.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
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Now is the time for decisive military aid and sledgehammer sanctions on major buyers of Russian oil and gas like China and India who are fueling Russia’s war machine.—
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And yet, Trump has also managed to avoid complex questions about those issues — the most pressing before his administration — and despite Democrats and some of his own supporters lashing out over them.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Noem and her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski -- who is reportedly also departing DHS -- both had a knack for lashing out, yelling and berating staff that crossed them, according to sources.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maul. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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