PISTOL-WHIPPING Synonyms: 103 Similar Words

pistol-whipping

verb

present participle of pistol-whip

as in strapping

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pistol-whipping

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

Ibe, 30, appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday to be sentenced for assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm, and he was fined and sentenced to community service, according to BBC News.

— Ali Rampling, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
He was accused of assaulting an unidentified 29-year-old woman the day prior to his arrest.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of assaulting

Verb

Stanley is accused of blocking Rajabi’s car with his body, punching Rajabi’s window and resisting arrest.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

And thankfully for Leipzig head coach Martin Demichelis, Nusa remains at the club and will be expected to become their attacking talisman in the Champions League.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Generally, these hunters do not start attacking cells unless there is a reason to do so, such as inflammation, a key marker of infection.

— Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

At the weigh-ins and face-off for the IBF heavyweight championship fight, Itauma shoved Hrgovic off the stage and the latter retaliated by slapping the former's face.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Already, Skubal’s joining in on pregame handshake lines and slapping the dugout railing in time to Roki Sasaki’s warm-up music.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 27 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

Pausing midway through a meal to check in with your hunger is a good rule of thumb, and boxing half of a meal at a restaurant to bring home can also help.

— Gavin Escott, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
If, as Jimmy Connors has said, tennis is boxing at ninety feet—a lonely battle of wills that punishes the slightest lapse in concentration—Eala’s southpaw forehand drives resemble Pacquiao’s blazing left hooks.

— Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pistol-whipping

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes