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
as in hammer
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maul
Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Investigators say nothing was taken and both the ax and the maul belonged to the Krausenecks.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2023
Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2025
The mother of a young girl who was mauled last fall in Independence has sued the dog’s owner and the owner of the home where the dog was staying, according to court documents.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for maul
Verb
Using the baton technique, the Mora Companion Spark chops wood like a spitting maul.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Investigators say nothing was taken and both the ax and the maul belonged to the Krausenecks.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2023
Noun
Whatever the effect on Tehran’s breakout time, this much is clear: Iran’s nuclear program was badly mauled.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 26 June 2025
The mother of a young girl who was mauled last fall in Independence has sued the dog’s owner and the owner of the home where the dog was staying, according to court documents.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for maul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maul
Verb
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His father, a livery man, didn’t understand him, and apparently abused him.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
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Published in April, the Change Associates review found that a small number of employees continue to abuse their power at the corporation.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In it, the dog licked its butt, then licked Paul’s lips.—
Simon Bland,
IndieWire,
6 Aug. 2025
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If pets or livestock have contact with the water, clean the animal with clean water right away and keep them from licking their body, the department advises.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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According to police, on the day of the attack, Robert Babin got into a heated argument with his mother and repeatedly hit her with a hammer, KRIV reported.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 July 2025
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But there is no man with a hammer; the happy man lives at his ease, and trivial daily cares faintly agitate him like the wind in the aspen-tree — and all goes well.—
Philip Metres
July 30,
Literary Hub,
30 July 2025
Verb
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The Vera Institute's advocacy arm Vera Action, for example, assessed that the the GOP spent more than $1 billion attacking Democrats on crime and immigration in 2024, while Democrats spent roughly $319 million on advertisements that played up their public safety records.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
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Cardi also dropped a trailer for the album, showing her inside a house as crows swarm and attack her mansion.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Get aligned and intentional before pounding the keyboard.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not said when troops would enter Gaza City, his country’s forces have continued to pound the area, killing dozens in recent days.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Mayor Michelle Wu gleefully took a sledgehammer to the walls of an eight-story South Boston building to break ground on the city’s largest office-to-residential conversion project to date, accounting for 77 of the 141 such units under construction.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
17 July 2025
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Blunt instrument The Supreme Court’s new test, with its implicit suggestion that coercion is found in exposure to materials that go against central tenets of parental religion, is more sledgehammer than scalpel.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Mercury News,
8 July 2025
Verb
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San Francisco tackle Williams is 6-foot-5 and 320, and has been manhandling NFL linemen since Hufanga was a boy running around his parents’ farm in Oregon.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
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At times he’s been manhandled by left tackle Patrick Paul, especially in 1-on-1s.—
Omar Kelly
August 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Verb
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President Trump on Friday lashed out at the official who oversees government employment reports after its regular monthly report showed the job market softening significantly this summer in a possible warning sign of an impending recession.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
1 Aug. 2025
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The president also lashed out on social media against Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, urging the Senate Judiciary Committee chair to ditch a longstanding confirmation practice to expedite the process.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maul. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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