POUNDING Synonyms: 278 Similar and Opposite Words

pounding 1 of 2

noun

as in hammering

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pounding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pound

as in shuffling

to move heavily or clumsily pounding down the road as fast as he could run

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in banging

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner pounding nails into boards all day long

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as in licking

to strike repeatedly during the storm the waves furiously pounded the beach

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as in drawing

to shape with a hammer pounding out a depression in the metal

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as in grinding

to reduce to fine particles the tablet may be pounded and mixed in with the animal's food

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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

Noun

Rucking targets both at once without the joint pounding of running or the recovery debt of hard gym sessions. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026 Rutted migration routes, carved by the constant pounding of animal hooves, littered northern Pennsylvania. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 But perhaps the constant pounding was just too much for the pier, built in 1973. — John Ramos, CBS News, 7 June 2026 Most of those killed died during the second pounding. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026 Another popular belief is that the pounding of the raindrops on the ground mimics the sound of moles hunting for food, and the worms flee to escape being on the mole’s menu. — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026 Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians. — Serra Yedikardes, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026 However, while chemically the same, beach sand is made up of tiny crystals of quartz that have been pulverized by geological weathering and the pounding of ocean waves. — John Ballato, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 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

Verb

Strong winds, pounding seas and coastal flood threats will be near-constant companions for parts of North Carolina up through the Chesapeake Bay area this weekend as a nor’easter that’s expected to linger well into next week starts to take shape. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 You were expected, at the very least, to put up a good fight, and the dance could get real ugly real quick—I’ve witnessed aunties and uncles pounding their fists on the table in a yelling war and checks being ripped straight down the middle. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Heavy alcohol intake can lead to some degree of dehydration and a pounding headache in the morning. — Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026 The New York native and LaGuardia grad still remembers his days pounding the pavement on the open-mic circuit. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 Anyone who has seen the heart-pounding trailer of Whalefall, which follows a scuba diver being swallowed whole by a giant sperm whale, would probably not see said whale as the film’s hero. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 What's left of Tropical Storm Rachel sent massive 8-foot waves pounding beachfront homes south of Los Angeles. — Jason Allen, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 With that much pulse-pounding, fight-or-flight-revving goodness, maybe there should be a law. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2026 Many spectators watched pounding waves there at high tide Saturday morning. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounding

Noun

The butt of the Axvant is designed to double as a mallet, mostly for knocking in tent stakes and taking care of other basic, non-precision hammering.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Coastal flooding and hammering winds are already underway from North Carolina and Virginia to New Jersey, the start of a dayslong coastal flood and erosion threat that will extend into New England as the storm ramps up.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of hammering

Verb

Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
At the end of all that immersiveness, exiting out onto the physical street to join the crowds of shuffling tourists and fend off sullen Elmos makes Times Square feel like the soul of authenticity.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

Teams have to be licking their chops after seeing what Tampa Bay did to Dallas last Thursday night, especially considering the defense (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have shown through five weeks.

— Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Carter is licking his wounds after the rest of the tribe sent Ana home in a blindside.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of licking

Verb

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has warned that drawing the reserve down too far could damage the salt caverns where the oil is stored.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Later that decade, hippie love-ins were held regularly at the base of the carousel, occasionally drawing the likes of the Hells Angels or law enforcement.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of drawing

Verb

While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
That kind of grinding, directionless uncertainty makes Salesforce an interesting candidate for a neutral, short premium trade.

— Julia Spina, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of grinding

Noun

The world’s richest person, MAGA donor, chainsaw waver, baby daddy and would-be Mars colonizer takes a thrashing.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
The teenager, who has excelled for The Union by scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in MLS this season, was called up to his first national camp this month and made his international debut in the US’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru on Saturday.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026