as in hammering
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1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
pounding down the road as fast as he could run
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in banging
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
pounding nails into boards all day long
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
during the storm the waves furiously pounded the beach
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in drawing
to shape with a hammer
pounding out a depression in the metal
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in grinding
to reduce to fine particles
the tablet may be pounded and mixed in with the animal's food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pounding
Norma Torres, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
In that room, Cristobal didn’t come down hard on his staff, no yelling or pounding of the table.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Had the pounding on his front door happened just a little later in the afternoon, Eads would most likely have returned home to learn of a tragedy.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
The pounding ensued even more with a touchdown from senior halfback Ibrahim Kaba and a bomb caught by Ramar Thomas to close out the game.
—Patrick Plunkett, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
There was a ringing in his ears, the pounding of blood as his body fought to stay upright.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Russia is intensifying its pounding of Ukraine, with June seeing the highest civilian casualties in three years.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
The cast of the heart-pounding story also features Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, and Peter Friedman.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
The emphasis will be on pounding the strike zone.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The trek up the swinging staircase, twinkle lights clinking with each step, had my heart pounding for more reason than one.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
In each port, travelers can expect excursions that are both heart-pounding and dip into the local culture, like a helicopter flight over the towering Mahoney Falls or a local seafood tasting led by an Alaskan fisherwoman.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Our eyes are itchy, our throats are scratchy, our nose is runny, our head is pounding with congestion.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
With its newest release, Canadian RV specialist Leisure Travel Vans (LTV) adjusts focus from luxurious leisure to heart-pounding adventure travel.
—New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
But if Robert Icke’s pulse-pounding Broadway production is any indication, Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old Greek tragedy still has the ability to shock.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
The memories remained from crawling across the balcony, the pounding on the chamber doors, the screams echoing through the rotunda.
—Norma Torres, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
In that room, Cristobal didn’t come down hard on his staff, no yelling or pounding of the table.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Had the pounding on his front door happened just a little later in the afternoon, Eads would most likely have returned home to learn of a tragedy.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
The pounding ensued even more with a touchdown from senior halfback Ibrahim Kaba and a bomb caught by Ramar Thomas to close out the game.
—Patrick Plunkett, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
There was a ringing in his ears, the pounding of blood as his body fought to stay upright.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Russia is intensifying its pounding of Ukraine, with June seeing the highest civilian casualties in three years.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
On the northern end of California’s Central Coast, the region’s rolling hills and sunny beaches give way to misty bays and cypress groves, pounding turquoise surf and steep, plunging cliffs.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
The cast of the heart-pounding story also features Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, and Peter Friedman.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
The emphasis will be on pounding the strike zone.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The trek up the swinging staircase, twinkle lights clinking with each step, had my heart pounding for more reason than one.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
In each port, travelers can expect excursions that are both heart-pounding and dip into the local culture, like a helicopter flight over the towering Mahoney Falls or a local seafood tasting led by an Alaskan fisherwoman.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Our eyes are itchy, our throats are scratchy, our nose is runny, our head is pounding with congestion.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
With its newest release, Canadian RV specialist Leisure Travel Vans (LTV) adjusts focus from luxurious leisure to heart-pounding adventure travel.
—New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
But if Robert Icke’s pulse-pounding Broadway production is any indication, Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old Greek tragedy still has the ability to shock.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounding
Noun
-
Software meltdown Last week, software stocks took a hammering after Anthropic's productivity tool Claude Cowork gained traction.—
Arjun Kharpal,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Eric Freeny blocked Smith, Bilodeau grabbed the loose ball and threw an outlet to Dailey for a hammering dunk.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Bridgerton treats it as though every woman got multiples of their yearbook photo to hand around as headshots, and Benedict’s taking what would have been treasured personal heirlooms and just shuffling through them and tossing out anyone with the wrong hair color.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And Peters has been banging his head on his desk trying to get Congress to use it.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Agitators were seen blowing whistles, banging pots and pans, shaking metal barricades and striking the rails set up outside the property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Spit Heathcliff spends a lot of time straight-up licking Cathy’s face in this movie.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
That particular corner was filled with pink shirts and defeated faces, and Salloi stood in front of them, fingers in the corners of his mouth, drawing his smile wide like the Joker.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Clippers went ahead by four on free throws from Mathurin and Jones, but Murray drove for a dunk and hit a three before drawing the foul by Jones on a last-ditch attempt from beyond the arc.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian land, but over almost four years of grinding war, those territorial gains are thought to have cost Russia over a million casualties.—
Holly Williams,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
This week, the optimism of spring has given way to the grinding reality of the sport, all before teams conducted their first workouts.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stevenson played his best game in the Pats’ regular-season finale, a 38-10 thrashing of Miami.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
And, the 56-22 CFP semifinal Peach Bowl thrashing of Oregon began with Ponds’ interception return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Han will be posted up by the Milennium Falcon and/or Oga’s Cantina, Luke will be stomping his Chanel boots in the marketplace, and Darth Vader will be force-choking dads in Grumpy tees.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Then there’s the people watching, from the tailgating to the communal divot stomping, full of dramatic sun dresses and hats with flourishes, seersucker suits and, yes, hats with flourishes.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pounding. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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