1
as in to abuse
to abuse physically
demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
The ban was previously enacted in 2009 after a resident was mauled by a pitbull.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
Eyeballs are unhoused, teeth are transplanted, a body crashes into a windshield before being mauled by wolves for good measure.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
The ban was previously enacted in 2009 after a resident was mauled by a pitbull.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 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
Verb
-
The university still faces five active federal lawsuits in the Southern District of Ohio from 236 men alleging Strauss abused them.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
11 May 2026
-
There have been several cases of clergy abusing children in Sri Lanka, but the latest arrest involves the most senior monk to be accused of such a crime.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Gilgeous-Alexander licked his chops at what Game 1 presented.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
But host Kristen Kish is licking her lips at the prospect of taking the show even further afield in the future.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
According to prosecutors, Joachin is accused of attacking the victim outside a gas station, striking her repeatedly in the head with a hammer and killing her.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Inevitably, team evil has cooler powers, like Sindel’s scream and Kung Lao’s hat of doom, but in addition to allotting an inordinate amount of its combat time to Shao Kahn, who’s just a hulking guy with a hammer, the movie’s big visual idea is characters blasting one another with beams.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In fact, the Sixers will be better equipped to attack this Knicks flaw if Embiid can return at any point in the series.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
In one of the evening’s most striking moments, Raman accused Bass and Pratt of working together to attack her.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The Charlotte area received 2 to 2 1/2 inches of sometimes pounding rain this week, according to the National Weather Service.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2026
-
Larnach’s two-run double in the fourth inning on Tuesdsay split the gap and broke the game open as the Twins pounded the Washington Nationals 11-3 at Nationals Park.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Or a really mad hiker with a sledgehammer.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The $100 million price tag attached to the legal action is to make sure the city takes Brown’s allegations seriously — and ensure no one else is manhandled by the police without cause, Brown’s attorney Derek Sells of the Cochran Firm said.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In previous years, the 31-year-old originally from Chicago might have lashed back when accosted on the ice.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
Lively has maintained this approach was in line with the press tactic laid out for her by Sony, but the internet quickly lashed out at her given the film’s serious subject matter.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maul. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
