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
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 Lug a bulky, awkward, bear-proof canister to store your food so you don’t get mauled. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 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
  • Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son last month.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Blanchard has said her mother abused her for years and forced her to fake serious illnesses.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • The Sox move on to Cleveland while the Cubs come home to lick their wounds.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Bombers beat the Red Sox 9-2 in Game 2 after winning the series opening game 9-0, sending New England’s hardball heroes home to lick their wounds until next spring.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lick
Noun
  • After jiggling it in the lock for a bit, Brunson resorts to a sledge hammer and finally a chainsaw, without success.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The influencer has gone to extremes such as hitting himself in the face with a hammer so his bones grow back sharper and taking small amounts of methamphetamine to suppress his appetite.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hammer
Verb
  • An official of Congo's ruling party UDPS, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, was attacked by unknown suspects Sunday for defending the government's measures against Ebola on a radio program and was in critical condition, according to the UDPS.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, the agents were apparently not instructed to attack or compromise the UN website.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Moscow's forces pounded apartment buildings, offices, gas stations and data centers, among other targets.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • On a hot Saturday, Pawlikowski and I revisited those heights—the slopes from which, for almost four years, starting in the spring of 1992, Serbian artillery pounded Sarajevo, which lies vulnerably cupped in the valley below.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of pound
Noun
  • Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Whatever is decided in November, Sterling has taken a sledgehammer to his own reputation.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of sledgehammer
Verb
  • Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
  • He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of manhandle
Verb
  • An intruder pressed a knife to Beatty's neck, wrapped her face in tape, lashed her to a bed and assaulted her for hours.
    — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The clearest moment came when one of the largest open models in the world ran at full precision on one of our servers, while the dominant platform needed two lashed together for the same job.
    — Piotr Tomasik, Forbes.com, 2 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 5 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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