pistol-whipping

Definition of pistol-whippingnext
present participle of pistol-whip

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pistol-whipping
Verb
  • One rider was banned for a year on May 14, 2025 for assaulting a security officer and was banned again for a year just two days later for assaulting a CATS contractor on the Blue Line platform, records obtained by the Observer show.
    Amber Gaudet Updated February 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Investigators said detectives with the Daytona Beach Police Department later found two video clips on Melady’s cellphone allegedly showing him assaulting the woman inside the ambulance.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Additionally, the actor is accused of assaulting another man by punching him in the nose, police say.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The police statement claims that upon being released, LaBeouf struck the same man with his fists before allegedly punching another man in the nose.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The strategy marks a shift toward attacking cartels’ financial systems as law enforcement pressure mounts on traditional drug routes.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Dan Ndoye is capable of playing in a central attacking role and Morgan Gibbs-White has looked handy playing in a more advanced role.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Even in the trailer, scenes of slapping dough, Robbie and Elordi kissing in the rain and Elordi licking a wall were telltale signs that this would be a heightened version of the actual romance depicted in the book.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Sometimes the figure tries and fails to stand up, slapping itself with floppy, almost boneless limbs.
    Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.
    Sydney Pereira, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Club World Cup viewers may remember the South American receiving the ball, skipping past an opponent, and thwacking in a long-range goal against Urawa Reds in June.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But boxing out hasn't really been that important.
    Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Sports have a rich history in Puerto Rico, from boxing to baseball — but with the exception of Super Bowl Sunday, American football doesn’t typically reach us.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Porter’s 5-year-old son struggled in vain to protect his mother, with Freeman swatting him aside as the child tried to push the killer off her body, according to Bronx Homicide Detective Robert Klein, who took over the investigation into the cold case murder in 2021.
    Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The homes and businesses of at least 12 Indiana state lawmakers were targeted with bomb threats and swatting in December as the legislature weighed whether to redraw congressional districts.
    Cate Charron, IndyStar, 15 Jan. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pistol-whipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pistol-whipping. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.

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