pummel

verb

ˈpə-məl How to pronounce pummel (audio)
Definition of pummelnext
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 pummel The force of the helicopter blades pummeled the water, whipping up spray and turbulence. — Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Finally, when expectations crested for the Jayhawks, they got pummeled on their home turf. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026 An unusually active hurricane season triggered a trio of storms that pummeled Hawaii and Mexico earlier this year. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026 Throughout the trial, Sierra’s legal team has focused on brain damage stemming from an accident in which Sierra was pummeled by a car as a child. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
  1. lick
  2. hide
  3. pound
  4. beat
  5. lash
  6. whip
  7. pelt
  8. slap
Verb
  • Unfortunately for us, those tenants have evolved a sticky knack for evading eviction, creating a webbing known as biofilm that prevents them from being easily licked or swallowed away.
    — Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
  • That’s not exactly chump change, considering Atlanta was still licking its wounds after the Great Depression.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • State officials are hiding public information like never before.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Or does the making of art simply help the artist to hide behind another layer of artifice?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Using the textured side of a meat mallet, gently pound the meat until it’s slightly flattened, creating indentations all over the surface.
    — Natalia Vela, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Rain pounded the region on Sunday, and one of the pilots reported icing conditions at a high altitude in communications with air traffic control.
    — David Fischer, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • This was the teams’ first meeting at T-Mobile Arena since Arizona beat UCLA in the 2023 Pac-12 tournament final for the second year in a row.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • With quarterback Baker Mayfield going 0 for 3 passing, Tampa Bay beat the Atlanta Falcons, 16-0, producing one of the NFL’s strangest box scores in decades — and winning a game in a manner that had essentially disappeared from modern football.
    — Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • Fan Fest Mascara fans out lashes side-to-side, amplifies volume, and multiplies the look of lashes to give an instant eye-opening effect that lasts 24 hours.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • When the gales of November came early, as the song goes, large waves and intense wind lashed the ship on her final voyage.
    — Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • In a rare role reversal, Lipa is the fangirl, whipping out her phone to commemorate the occasion with a group selfie.
    — Daniela Tijerina, Vanity Fair, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Theo picks it up shortly before being whipped for his insolence.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of whip
Verb
  • Rain is most likely to hit in the afternoon, Garcia said, unlike over the weekend when rain pelted the region for hours.
    — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • All of them got here by giant impacts that have pelted Mars for eons, occasionally blasting bits of the planet into space, some of which by chance fall to Earth.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of pelt
Verb
  • Usman Nurmagomedov then slapped him across the face, and all hell broke loose.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The loose straps on my backpack were snapping and slapping like whips.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of slap

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Cite this Entry

“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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