as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
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Recent Examples of pummel
Three days after pummeling UCLA, 48-29, on the glass (including 20-5 on offensive boards), the Terps were on the receiving end of a clobbering as USC dominated, 35-24.
—
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
In a matter of eight days, the Hornets (14-26) have gone from pummeling the defending champion in Oklahoma City to losing consecutive games at home to Toronto and Indiana in gut-wrenching fashion to recording the largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history by pounding Utah.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026
The 8-31 Pacers, who have been pummeled by injuries this season after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, sit last in the East standings.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
The castles actually last, unlike those on the beach that can get pummeled by the incoming tide.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
In a matter of eight days, the Hornets (14-26) have gone from pummeling the defending champion in Oklahoma City to losing consecutive games at home to Toronto and Indiana in gut-wrenching fashion to recording the largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history by pounding Utah.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026
The 8-31 Pacers, who have been pummeled by injuries this season after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, sit last in the East standings.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
The castles actually last, unlike those on the beach that can get pummeled by the incoming tide.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When washed with ethanol, the hydrogel appeared transparent, hiding the image entirely.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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The movie’s opening scene is a tense interrogation by Landa of a farmer who is hiding a Jewish family under the floorboards.—
William Earl,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Getting ahead and staying ahead The key, for all of the Rockies pitchers, said, is to pound the zone, get ahead in the count and finish the job.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
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Court documents say when the officers tried to leave, Catlett pounded on the hood and kicked the side door of their car.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jets fans pictured Darnold wearing the green and white, beating the Patriots on his way to the Super Bowl.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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After going nearly two months without consecutive victories, the Capitals beat the Islanders, 4-1, for their third straight win.—
Bailey Johnson,
Washington Post,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The president has lashed out at current Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the Fed's slow-and-steady approach to interest rate cuts over the last year.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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Tony Khan’s History Of Online Controversies On New Year’s Eve in 2021, Tony Khan lashed out on Twitter at former AEW star Big Swole for her complaints about AEW’s lack of diversity.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The wind and waves whipped around us.—
Richard Greenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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According to initial police reports, the man sitting in the driver’s seat was pistol whipped and robbed of his wallet that contained cash and other personal items.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Playing on tour with Elvis Costello, the Clash, and the Cars, they’d been pelted with shoes, coins, and even knives.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
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Mason Lake, a photojournalist who has been exposed to various crowd-control tactics while covering protests in Portland, Oregon, said getting hit with pepper balls feels similar to being pelted with paintballs.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the Wolverines dribbled the ball down the floor, all five Spartans slapped the floor.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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