1
as in abusing
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 licking
to strike repeatedly
the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in thrashing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mauling
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
The decision comes after preliminary approval that was given in May—the same month that Florida saw its first fatal black bear attack in Florida—the mauling of 89-year-old Robert Markel in the unincorporated town of Collier County in Jerome, Florida.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
Fears about dog attacks surged after the 2023 fatal mauling of a four-year-old boy in Hyderabad, an attack captured on CCTV that horrified the nation and sent shockwaves through media and political circles, sparking a frantic search for solutions.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
The decision comes after preliminary approval that was given in May—the same month that Florida saw its first fatal black bear attack in Florida—the mauling of 89-year-old Robert Markel in the unincorporated town of Collier County in Jerome, Florida.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Verb
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And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
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Langley says Axon is a monopolist abusing its market position to choke out competition.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Excluding the pandemic, that’s the slowest average monthly gain for that January to August time frame since 2010, when the United States was still licking its wounds from the Great Recession.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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Today, Alabama is licking its wounds.—
Don Yaeger,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Exactly what was needed for a thrashing of Girona.—
Sam Leveridge,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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The band Welles scored a gig at Bonnaroo in 2017, released a few EPs and a full album in 2018, and toured a bunch, but the world wasn’t especially interested in grunge-metal thrashings.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At least four young men are seen attacking the boy at various points.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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When combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors – the breakthrough immunotherapy that prevents the immune system from attacking healthy cells – the T cells' tumor-fighting capacity was further enhanced.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
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These unofficial remixes, uploaded from unremarkable accounts, create a kind of Satie-esque audio overdose, pounding the band’s melody into abstraction, pure stimulus.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As aid groups say famine has already taken hold, the assault risks the lives of remaining hostages—captured by Hamas in its October 2023 attack—while Netanyahu faces mounting political turmoil at home, even as Washington continues to hold Hamas responsible for prolonging the conflict.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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Even when put under lighter sanctions in 2018, during the Salisbury chemical attack, claims of election interference, and criminal cyber operations continued.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 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
Verb
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The company destroyed a piece of lashing wire that investigators believe slapped an Xcel electrical conductor and caused arcing that led to the fire, said Matthew Delinko with Bauman, Lowe, Witt & Maxwell, a law firm representing insurance companies.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Aug. 2025
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By Wednesday, videos of waves lashing the homes began to make the rounds on social media.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mauling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mauling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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