Thesaurus results for SLUGGING

slugging

verb

present participle of slug

as in hitting

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner she got so angry that she slugged the back of the chair and knocked it over

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 slugging Tonight offers two more compelling home run bets for slugging first basemen with above-average power and favorable matchups. — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026 The Hawks want to be competing for a playoff spot here instead of slugging through a lost season. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026 And if Bregman had been slugging more, especially in clutch situations, the optics might be different. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 30 June 2026 As the White Sox were slugging their way to a 22-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night, former player Ron Kittle was getting married in a ballpark suite with Chicago chairman Jerry Reinsdorf officiating. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Rice is slugging almost 100 points higher than Kurtz, though the A’s slugger’s ability to get on base has their OPS numbers in a comparable range. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026 There wasn’t much concern about the hard-slugging right fielder’s condition, however. — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 The bottom portion of the UCLA lineup picked up the slack, slugging two homers among the six hits and four RBIs from the 6-9 spots. — Josh Gross, Daily News, 31 May 2026 Slimp earned first-team all-Big Ten honors as the leadoff hitter for a Bruins team that features slugging stars Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slugging

Verb

The New York Yankees want to add a right-handed hitting catcher, and the Minnesota Twins’ Ryan Jeffers still appears to be their most obvious target.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 21 July 2026
But what does Porsha being a liar have to do with Shamea hitting below the belt unprompted?

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

But that hasn’t stopped one of the country’s increasingly renowned grape-growing regions from punching well above its weight.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 July 2026
Video footage of the incident appears to show two officers struggling with Hardy, with one of them punching her before taking her to the ground.

— Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 17 July 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

The surveillance footage released by police in 2012 from the night before the murder showed a person in a hoodie and baggy pants walking up the stairs outside Chavez’s apartment and knocking on the door.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Jay Harry is knocking at the door Blue Jays designated hitter Sean Keys had a front-row seat for Jay Harry’s breakout season.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

But when their panel ended, the sports stars got into a heated exchange that ended with Brady slapping Paul in the face.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 18 July 2026
As seen in a video posted by Fanatics on Instagram and X, the former NFL quarterback traded words with Paul face-to-face before slapping him, and was ultimately pulled away.

— Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Definition of slapping

Verb

Heavy raindrops flew sideways, smacking against the hood of my rain jacket and creating a nearly deafening white noise.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
With a Triple-A pitcher called up for a spot start and a utilityman smacking an early two-run homer, the Boston Red Sox, having now won eight straight games, keep winning with an unlikely formula.

— Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

Over the past several months, Taylor has accused Mortensen in court of stalking and, on one occasion, slamming her head into the dashboard of his truck.

— Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
Because of this tremendous heat, hydrogen atoms in the inner core of stars are zipping along at incredible speeds and slamming into each other with astonishing violence.

— Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 July 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

Part of Ludwig Göransson’s score is based on the sound of banging pieces of bronze, which turn out to be the alarm bells of Troy, a warning of violence that echoes throughout the film.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Then the team did it, sitting on the field after beating Ivory Coast to reach the round of 16, with captain Martin Odegaard banging the drum.

— Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of banging

Verb

For much of the ’80s, Teresa Taylor (aka Teresa Nervosa) joined up as a second drummer, pounding tribal beats beside Coffey, and became a Gen-X icon after appearing in the 1990 film Slacker.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026
After pounding his drive down the final fairway, Fox hit his approach to just inside 12 feet and then dripped his birdie putt into the edge of the cup to win the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

— Dan Zaksheske, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026