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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummels
  1. licks
  2. hides
  3. pounds
  4. whips
  5. beats
  6. slaps
  7. knocks
  8. slams
Verb
  • Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • The aggregate hides what exactly is falling and what might still be holding up.
    — Victor Karpenko, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Freeland resembles Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, drawing back the curtain that hides the smoke machine when the Wizard of Oz is not a wizard at all, but a carnival illusionist distracting the population.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 22 July 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Back from a hamstring injury, Teoscar Hernández rejoins a relentless Dodgers offense that pounds 17 hits and three homers in a 9-4 win over the Athletics.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.
    — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026
Definition of pounds
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • In any case, a few days delay beats a significant issue in flight.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
  • For the last several weeks there have been a litany of reports about how Netflix is approaching the future or trying to chase down YouTube, which still beats Netflix in terms of the amount of hours people spend on the platform.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
Definition of beats
Verb
  • Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • Those knocks, a masterful performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a late implosion set the Yankees up for an 8-2 loss in the first game of a split doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
  • My parents tell stories about me sleeping through loud construction, alarms, and heavy knocks on my bedroom door.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • This is happening as a demographic shift to an older, grayer population slams Colorado.
    — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026
  • Taylor Sheridan slams critics Sheridan's series are all hits with regular people, but he's routinely been a target for critics.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 June 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 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pummels for Spanish Speakers

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