pistol-whipping

verb

present participle of pistol-whip
as in strapping

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pistol-whipping
  1. flagellating
  2. assaulting
  3. punching
  4. attacking
  5. slapping
  6. smacking
  7. thwacking
  8. boxing
Verb
  • Some go further, flagellating themselves or using a sword to strike their forehead to draw blood.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
  • His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of flagellating
Verb
  • Russian state media reported that Robert Gilman’s sentence was extended in 2024 to 10 years for allegedly assaulting prison staff.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The week after the letter was sent, Manz was charged with assaulting a villager who got too close to the fence.
    — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of assaulting
Verb
  • Alaves' Ángel Pérez was reprimanded by coach Quique Sánchez Flores after being substituted and punching the bench several times.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Speaking to reporters before heading out on a campaign bus tour in Maine, Collins was asked about recent reports of a 1988 incident in which Jackson faced misdemeanor charges for punching an unnamed man.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • New arrival Maghnes Akliouche adds another attacking option this summer, while the signing of Lucas Digne from Villa gives this particular fixture an early subplot, with the full-back facing his old club straight out of the gate.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Three men are charged with attacking a CBS News Chicago crew near the Adler Planetarium at the end of June, before pointing a gun at people in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood before they were arrested.
    — CBS Chicago Team, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • Yan bounded off the mound, slapping his hand against his glove several times, after the inning ended.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Once again, Yan did the whole jumping, landing, ground-slapping thing (no slide this time though).
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Modern readers may take heart in the fact that there are many excellent critics thwacking through the slop—albeit with freelance machetes, on newfangled platforms.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Max Weinberg sat at his set, thwacking his floor tom, while Lahav fiddled with his dials, stalked into the studio to unplug, replug, and then just physically move the microphone closer to the set, then to the side, and then farther away.
    — Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Definition of thwacking
Verb
  • The cemetery is home to Emmett Till, singing icon Dinah Washington and boxing great Ezzard Charles.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That's my thought and my expectation, but this is boxing and anything can happen.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of boxing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pistol-whipped
pistol-whipping
pistol-whips
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Cite this Entry

“Pistol-whipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pistol-whipping. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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