as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
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Recent Examples of pummel
The older of the two, who was likely in his 20s or 30s, died as Mount Vesuvius pummeled the area with rock fragments called lapilli.
—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
According to Israeli and American reports, over the past week, the president forced Israel to abort imminent retaliatory strikes on Iran and demanded that the country restrict its response to Hezbollah fire from Lebanon that has pummeled the Israeli north.
—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The good news is that skies have since cleared, but for much of Wednesday morning and afternoon, residents in Streator, about 90 miles southwest of Chicago and already ravaged by an EF-3 tornado, were getting pummeled with rain.
—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
The war also pummeled the region's aviation sector, with flights out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a global hub for air travel, reduced by two-thirds and those out of Doha, Qatar, by three-quarters, according to the IMF.
—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
According to Israeli and American reports, over the past week, the president forced Israel to abort imminent retaliatory strikes on Iran and demanded that the country restrict its response to Hezbollah fire from Lebanon that has pummeled the Israeli north.
—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The good news is that skies have since cleared, but for much of Wednesday morning and afternoon, residents in Streator, about 90 miles southwest of Chicago and already ravaged by an EF-3 tornado, were getting pummeled with rain.
—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
The war also pummeled the region's aviation sector, with flights out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a global hub for air travel, reduced by two-thirds and those out of Doha, Qatar, by three-quarters, according to the IMF.
—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
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After milking, the cows would return themselves to their fresh pasture and spend the day grazing, snoozing, licking one another, and cooling off in the shade of pine trees.
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Bring along a friend who wouldn’t be able to indulge in these kinds of finger-licking treats otherwise.
Verb
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Turns out, a kid brought in with gunshot wounds died in that room the same night, and a final look at the security footage shows a mysterious third man — clearly hiding his face from all cameras under a label-less baseball cap — entering the same room around the same time as Ji.
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Stealth jurors — those who hide their true biases to influence a verdict — could pose a serious problem for prosecutors in either of Mangione's cases, Rahmani said.
Verb
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Moroccan supporters, who had arrived in force, marching toward the stadium amid pounding drums and chants, celebrated their team’s victory and advancement.
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In lieu of Pearl Jam, Wilco and other ‘90s rock standards, a pounding electronic score by Christian Lundberg of Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers collective provides the music.
Verb
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Bryson Stott's three-run homer highlighted Philadelphia's eight-run outburst in the ninth inning and the Phillies rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 14-9 on Tuesday night.
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Rather than be benched, Devers batted cleanup, overcame an 0-for-3 start, and singled up the middle in the seventh to score Bryce Eldridge, who narrowly beat a tag at the plate for a 3-1 lead.
Verb
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Sydney briefly, and understandably, succumbed to the impulse to lash out, something that Carmy has done on more than one occasion while acting as head chef.
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Continue reading … SEISMIC SUPPORT — AOC lashes out at Trump for 'betrayal' of voters after key SCOTUS immigration ruling.
Verb
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Police have arrested a 22-year-old man who was caught on camera whipping a yellow taxi cab with a belt, damaging the hood, following the Knicks’ comeback victory in Game 4 of the NBA finals, officials said Friday.
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Democrats work ceaselessly to whip the American people into a frenzy of hate and conflict.
Verb
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After a couple of days of respite, the state was once again being pelted with more severe weather Sunday.
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Hail pelted several central Minnesota communities as storms rolled through on Friday afternoon and evening.
Verb
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Would love to see what happens if Daemon tries to slap Hugh.
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So, the inspector held a Stop Sale party, slapping them on dumplings, two groups of sprouts, three groups of shrimp, and eggs, chicken, beef, pork, noodles, cabbage, pasta and ham.
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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