MAULING Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

mauling 1 of 2

noun

Definition of mauling next

as in thrashing

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mauling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of maul

as in abusing

to abuse physically demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in licking

to strike repeatedly the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up

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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 mauling

Noun

There are questions about free-agent right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor’s fit with Harbaugh, who wants a mauling offensive line in the run game. —

Dan Duggan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026 These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year. —

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026 Fresh from his online mauling at the hands of Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary, the world’s richest man can take some consolation. —

The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Feb. 2026 Jacqueline Durand was 22 and a student at the University of Texas at Dallas when the mauling occurred in December 2021. —

Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026 Both tragedies unfolded in rural Northern California, with the fatal lion mauling occurring in El Dorado County. —

Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026 Continue reading … SNAP ATTACK – Skier suffers brutal mauling after stepping within 10 feet of snow leopard for photo. —

FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026 There isn’t a Joe Alt or Penei Sewell in this draft class, but Mauigoa, a former five-star recruit, is big (6-6, 315), powerful, athletic and plays with a mauling mentality at the tackle position. —

Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026 The tragedy of the mauling death of Michael Millett III in a community with an alleged history of incidents involving dangerous dogs should serve as a reminder for anyone who witnesses or experiences a dog behaving aggressively to file a complaint with local animal control. —

Nicole R. Kurtz, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025

Verb

Or left tackle Theo Benedet pulling into the open field in Cincinnati, sprinting well beyond the line of scrimmage, starting his block on Geno Stone 4 yards from the sideline, then mauling the Bengals safety within inches of a bench. —

Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026 City enters Week 2 of the new campaign as Premier League leader after mauling its way to a 4-0 win over Wolves on opening weekend. —

Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mauling

Noun

His only Champions League goal arrived in January’s 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag, and his only assists in the competition came in similarly comfortable wins over Eintracht Frankfurt and Galatasaray.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Wild video captured the moment a young fisherman plunged into pounding Southern California surf to wrestle a thrashing shark and free it from his fishing line.

— Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026