pistol-whipping

present participle of pistol-whip

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pistol-whipping
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • At least one other Portland ICE building protester has been sentenced to prison, but not for assaulting a federal officer.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 June 2026
  • One person was charged with assaulting a police officer.
    Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.
    Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 June 2026
  • Former Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite is no longer facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching a Denver Police officer in 2024 at Denver International Airport, but the officer is still suing him over the incident.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • Just attacking everything with strikes.
    Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 11 June 2026
  • Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.
    Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
  • Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head.
    Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2026
  • As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 June 2026
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
Verb
  • In Game 2, Wembanyama wrapped his arms around Jose Alvarado and moved him out of the way while boxing out for a rebound.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
  • In a landmark 1998 complaint, the Department of Justice accused Microsoft of illegally tying its dominant Windows operating system to its Internet Explorer browser, boxing out competitors.
    Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 1 June 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pistol-whipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pistol-whipping. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster