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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Recent Examples of slugging
Bryce Harper has been slugging with Victus bats for a while now — last season, Harper rocked a custom baby blue bat for a gender reveal when his wife Kayla was expecting their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper.
—
Nikki Dementri, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Rodriguez doesn’t have a home run yet this season after slugging seven of them a year ago.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ slugging outfielder didn’t waste the opportunity, depositing the pitch into right field for a go-ahead two-run double in the Hurricanes’ eventual 5-2 win over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Wednesday at Mark Light Field.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Despite the second-half struggles, Suzuki shined in his first MLB postseason, slugging three doubles and three home runs in eight games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
His drinking appears to have led to Laura secretly slugging down alcohol as a child.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
He’s displayed + power, slugging 44 HR in just 118 games while walking more than striking out.
—Teddy Cahill, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The offense — albeit playing half its games in a Triple-A park — ranked fifth in the majors in slugging, eighth in OPS and 12th in runs scored.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2026
But are the Red Sox a more complete team with a lineup that no longer features the slugging Rafael Devers, Bregman the ‘baseball rat,’ as Cora affectionately calls him, and southpaw slayer Rob Refsnyder?
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 Feb. 2026
Nikki Dementri, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Rodriguez doesn’t have a home run yet this season after slugging seven of them a year ago.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ slugging outfielder didn’t waste the opportunity, depositing the pitch into right field for a go-ahead two-run double in the Hurricanes’ eventual 5-2 win over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Wednesday at Mark Light Field.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Despite the second-half struggles, Suzuki shined in his first MLB postseason, slugging three doubles and three home runs in eight games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
His drinking appears to have led to Laura secretly slugging down alcohol as a child.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
He’s displayed + power, slugging 44 HR in just 118 games while walking more than striking out.
—Teddy Cahill, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The offense — albeit playing half its games in a Triple-A park — ranked fifth in the majors in slugging, eighth in OPS and 12th in runs scored.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2026
But are the Red Sox a more complete team with a lineup that no longer features the slugging Rafael Devers, Bregman the ‘baseball rat,’ as Cora affectionately calls him, and southpaw slayer Rob Refsnyder?
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slugging
Verb
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Shannon scored 29 points in the second half, hitting five of seven 3-point shots.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said Pages has become one of the team’s most regular users of the Trajekt machine – and Skenes is a frequent visitor.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier on Tuesday, the rapper was accused in a new lawsuit of punching a man two years ago at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Surveillance video shown to CBS News Philadelphia shows the suspect repeatedly punching Ballou.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bridgewater Police Officer Marc-Stephen Hutchins then arrived and started knocking on the door as well.—
Penny Kmitt,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Stockyards is knocking it out of the park, the Near Southside is growing with hospital and hotel development, and new construction is under way in the West 7th District, Taft said.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But there’s more to at-home extensions than slapping them on the crown of your head and heading out the door.—
Hunter Lacey,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2026
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That means going beyond slapping a flag on packaging in November.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Berfield — who played Reese, Dewey's older brother — watches the tween get picked on by a group of bullies before turning and smacking them with his bag.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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During the eclipse, as the moon was cloaked in darkness, the crew members spotted flashes of light from meteoroids smacking into the lunar surface.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On one side, people are slamming Bieber’s performance, describing it as lazy and underwhelming, despite his reportedly high paycheck for the gig.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Apr. 2026
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In security camera footage of her killing posted on the Department of Homeland Security's X feed, the man can be seen repeatedly slamming the hammer into a black vehicle parked in front of the gas station.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Their show is a high-energy mix of friendly interviews with tech titans, industry gossip, and celebrations of funding rounds and other successes that involve banging a giant gong.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
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Then, on a force play, Contreras slid hard into second, banging into shortstop David Hamilton’s left knee with his cleats and tearing his pants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tornado sirens, cell phone alerts, high winds and pounding rain woke up Michigan residents as severe weather pushed through the state overnight Tuesday.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Visitors can enjoy heart-pounding adventures like zip lining through the forest canopy, rock climbing on the gorge’s steep cliffs, and whitewater rafting on the New River’s epic Class I to V rapids.—
Jordan Charbonneau,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slugging. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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