as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
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Recent Examples of pummel
Tuesday’s storms also brought massive hail up to grapefruit size near Godley, Texas, while stones up to tennis ball and baseball size pummeled Springfield, Missouri, damaging vehicles and knocking down power poles.
—
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Teens from different neighborhoods roamed the streets to pummel one another using eggs as ammunition.
—Louis Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Hail pummeled the house as if it were being struck by golf balls.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Teens from different neighborhoods roamed the streets to pummel one another using eggs as ammunition.
—Louis Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Hail pummeled the house as if it were being struck by golf balls.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
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Gilgeous-Alexander licked his chops at what Game 1 presented.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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But host Kristen Kish is licking her lips at the prospect of taking the show even further afield in the future.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Without sofas, curtains, or rugs to soften things, your color palette has nowhere to hide.—
Natasha Bazika,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
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Many fish live, hide and eat the small shrimp and crabs that are within the seaweed, which made her snorkeling adventure more exciting.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The Charlotte area received 2 to 2 1/2 inches of sometimes pounding rain this week, according to the National Weather Service.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2026
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Larnach’s two-run double in the fourth inning on Tuesdsay split the gap and broke the game open as the Twins pounded the Washington Nationals 11-3 at Nationals Park.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Freshman midfielder Quinn Fahey scored the lone goal for the Eagles (6-5-2, 3-2), who beat Andrew for the first time since 2021.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Led by starter Martín Pérez, the Braves started off another series with a victory by beating the Tigers 5-2 at Truist Park on Tuesday.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In previous years, the 31-year-old originally from Chicago might have lashed back when accosted on the ice.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
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Lively has maintained this approach was in line with the press tactic laid out for her by Sony, but the internet quickly lashed out at her given the film’s serious subject matter.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The ride travels on an elliptical track and whips riders around bends.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Real estate agents whipped out their phones to put a hard sell on anything east of I-95.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Benavidez, even when being backed down by Ramirez, delivered his signature rapid-fire combinations, usually pelting his opponent's head.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
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On Saturday night, Curtis Nager grabbed a flashlight and left his home in unincorporated Parker County, about four miles south of Springtown, to check the outside of his property after a tornado and heavy hail pelted the area.—
Samuel O’Neal
April 27,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The same day that the nanny allegedly beat Walter, other caregivers slapped and flogged his siblings, including with shoes and wooden sticks.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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