1
as in abuses
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 licks
to strike repeatedly
the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mauls
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Martin mauls Arlington in 8-6A Arlington Martin got 20 points from Steven Reynolds III and 18 more from Levi Moore as the Warriors blasted Arlington 92-46 in a District 8-6A game on Thursday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mauls
Verb
-
Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then, Mitski licks up the blood on the girl’s finger.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The man attacks the woman with the hammer multiple times before stepping over her unmoving body and walking away out of the frame of the camera.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
-
She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that causes vision loss — and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.—
Chase Jordan
April 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Irons pounds the drums like Bam-Bam smashing on two garbage-can lids.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Macron said France is expending diplomatic capital to ensure a return to calm and to allow for the Lebanese armed forces to assert themselves as Israel pounds Hezbollah positions.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Eckert instructed the dads and sons to run a few hundred yards with kettlebells, sledgehammers, and sandbags, then to smash open the sandbags.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Three thieves used sledgehammers to perform a smash-and-grab at a popular Sherman Oaks mall on Wednesday evening, stealing jewelry and watches before fleeing the scene, authorities said.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wall hooks catch sun hats or coats, depending on the season, and the vintage Oushak rug hides stains with its existing patina.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
-
This party-girl persona hides a tender heart.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mauls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mauls. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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