as in hammering
Related Words
Relevance
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
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.
Recent Examples of pounding
ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
This section of shoreline is lined with cliffs, below which are sea caves, formed over centuries by the relentless pounding of Lake Superior waves.
—Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Jake Allen, IndyStar, 3 Mar. 2026
Drone footage captured the heart-pounding rescue on camera.
—Cameron Harrison, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Where the artist’s pounding was most forceful, the enamel is stripped away entirely, exposing the metal substrate beneath, which then doubles as the actual peak of the mountain.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran is pounding the Gulf’s aviation industry.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
During a quick break, class member Sophie Doe told CBS News her heart was pounding.
—Tina Kraus, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Dozens of flights between the East Coast and Los Angeles International Airport were cancelled Monday morning due to the blizzard that is pounding a large swath of the nation’s Eastern Seaboard.
—City News Service, Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Sarandos has been pounding the drum of more Paramount pain to come.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
Gabriel Basso headlines the pulse-pounding series.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
All around the Tivoli quarries, the air is heavy with the stench of sulfur and the constant pounding, clinking and cracking of giant jackhammers blasting ancient rock into pieces.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
This section of shoreline is lined with cliffs, below which are sea caves, formed over centuries by the relentless pounding of Lake Superior waves.
—Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Just around the corner from Cheryl Schulz’s ice cream shop in downtown Noblesville, there’s pounding noises that could only come from heavy construction machinery.
—Jake Allen, IndyStar, 3 Mar. 2026
Drone footage captured the heart-pounding rescue on camera.
—Cameron Harrison, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Where the artist’s pounding was most forceful, the enamel is stripped away entirely, exposing the metal substrate beneath, which then doubles as the actual peak of the mountain.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran is pounding the Gulf’s aviation industry.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
During a quick break, class member Sophie Doe told CBS News her heart was pounding.
—Tina Kraus, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Dozens of flights between the East Coast and Los Angeles International Airport were cancelled Monday morning due to the blizzard that is pounding a large swath of the nation’s Eastern Seaboard.
—City News Service, Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Sarandos has been pounding the drum of more Paramount pain to come.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
Gabriel Basso headlines the pulse-pounding series.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounding
Noun
-
Baupost Group’s Seth Klarman picked up Amazon in the fourth quarter, a bet that has yet to work out for the value investor this year as tech stocks take a hammering.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
-
At Anitra Coulter Blunt's Cedar Park home, the hammering and sawing is music to this musician's ears.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The shuffling sound quickened and the puzzlers’ hands sped up.—
Lia Picard,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Some line shuffling by Warsofsky worked.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mosaku said, banging the counter.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Everyone’s hitting, banging bodies.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On April 30, 2025, the dog was reportedly licking its tail and lethargic.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Son disappeared from public view, licking his wounds while also plotting his comeback.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The police truck idled for a moment before reversing down the street, drawing a round of applause from the crowd that had formed on the block.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The firm that handled the ad campaign was connected to the husband of Noem’s former spokesperson, drawing further scrutiny.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Those declines reflect a long list of new questions facing the business world — from the cost of oil coming out of the Middle East and supply chain disruptions to consumer confidence and the grinding uncertainty.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But Ejiofor remained patient, grinding behind the scenes to prepare for his opportunity.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first was at Wolverhampton Wanderers, then the second was in the closing stages of the thrashing of Crystal Palace at Elland Road.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Stevenson played his best game in the Pats’ regular-season finale, a 38-10 thrashing of Miami.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
So, let’s circle back to the original question on stomping.—
Adam Cohen,
Oklahoman,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The goal will change depending on the game — whether that’s collecting tokens, moving pieces on a board, stomping Goombas, or putting a ball in a hoop hanging 10 feet above the ground.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pounding. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
