pummels

verb

present tense third-person singular of pummel
as in licks
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 pummels The global energy crisis triggered by two wars is set to worsen, as Ukraine pummels Russia’s refining industry and Iranian attacks continue on Middle Eastern oil production and refining. — Amy Myers Jaffe, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026 Unhealthy air quality, heat pummels New York City Skies in the city held a gloomy yellow tinge on Thursday morning as Canadian wildfires burned, causing unhealthy air quality in multiple regions of the United States. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Debris pummels Rodney Stover’s back, buckling him to his knees. — Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026 Russia pummels Ukraine almost nightly with Shahed long-range attack drones — originally from Iran. — ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026 Ruben, a charming but terrifyingly angry juvenile delinquent, pummels timid, bookish Niall’s bullies. — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Apr. 2026 Millions of people are facing a flood risk on Friday as an atmospheric river pummels Southern California with torrential rainfall. — Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025 On a crowded street, Morejón strides up to the man and pummels him to the ground. — Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Israel pummels Gaza by cosplaying at self defense. — James Folta september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummels
  1. licks
  2. hides
  3. pounds
  4. whips
  5. beats
  6. slaps
  7. knocks
  8. slams
Verb
  • That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • That gap is where debt hides until something goes wrong across agents and everyone can say their piece worked as designed.
    — Venkatesh Sankaran, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The league usually hides these blunders behind closed doors and quiet internal grading-system tweaks.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounds
Verb
  • Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Green whips out his phone with the fluid motion of a digital native and snaps a photo.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • There is an art to stylizing a position of interrogation in excess of its biomechanics, an art to how lockstep beats a cadence while a unit swells into an enveloping arc.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • RingEx beats Unite hands down here, with hundreds of integration options.
    — John Brandon, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of beats
Verb
  • As the child puts his hands up, Bible says Campbell slaps them away, then drags him off the field.
    — Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Nothing slaps like the original, but the upcoming reboot looks kinda cool.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • What knocks him for a deadly loop is a powdered, pampered piece of work called Mildred (Elizabeth Teeter).
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Few fully understand this technology, and every incident knocks investors’ confidence further.
    — Yerbol Orynbayev, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • There are currently more than 85,000 customers without power across the Northeast, including New York City and Connecticut, as an intensifying early-season nor’easter slams the region with strong wind, soaking rain and coastal flooding.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Not thunder, not cobwebs, not a door that slams itself for union reasons.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of slams

Browse Nearby Words

pummeling
pummels
pump
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Cite this Entry

“Pummels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummels. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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