as in licks
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pummels
Three states are expecting significant waves, high winds, and heavy precipitation later this week as an atmospheric river pummels the Pacific Northwest.
—
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 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
Russia pummels Ukraine overnight as peace talks stall Russia hammered Ukraine with 526 drones overnight, a further escalation of Moscow’s aerial assault.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Some brief thoughts on the ubiquitous popstar’s latest album, which is cheeky, provocative, and absolutely pummels you with hooks.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 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
Russia pummels Ukraine overnight as peace talks stall Russia hammered Ukraine with 526 drones overnight, a further escalation of Moscow’s aerial assault.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Some brief thoughts on the ubiquitous popstar’s latest album, which is cheeky, provocative, and absolutely pummels you with hooks.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummels
Verb
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Posted to the account @maisythemarshmallow on September 19, the video shows the dog, named Maisy, lying calmly as the cat snuggles up and licks her face.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Incarceration often hides in plain sight.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
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The scene from Badlands hangs over the songwriting like a dark cloud; Spacek’s bedroom in the scene looks quite a bit like the bedroom in which the young Springsteen hides from his own angry father.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the video, Campos whips her long hair in disbelief.—
Christina Noriega,
Refinery29,
13 Oct. 2025
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So unless Benito uncharacteristically whips out a slate of cover songs, his set will be entirely in Spanish.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Double beats — where a company beats on both revenue and earnings — are happening more often, too.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
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Good pitching beats good hitting.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five.—
Touré,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
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By the end, only one of the assassins is alive; Brian ties him to a tree and slaps him around a bit, demanding to know who hired him.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That said, Dexter’s signature burger knocks it out of the park, with two uber-beefy, coarsely ground patties and a lightly sweet and super fluffy bun, plus American cheese, thin pickle slices, red onion and dijonnaise.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
22 Oct. 2025
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Gap High-Rise Cuffed Wide-Leg Jeans Gap’s denim collection always knocks it out of the park, and these cuffed wide-leg jeans are no exception.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Comedian Bill Maher suggests New York City Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani should renounce his Ugandan dual citizenship over the country’s record on LGBTQ+ rights, and slams the democratic candidate for his recent meeting with a New York Imam, also criticized for his stance on gay rights.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
27 Oct. 2025
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Once the truck begins driving straight, the beige SUV speeds up and slams into the truck’s back-left side.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pummels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummels. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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