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
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
He was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Houston in December 2024 that moved slugging prospect Cam Smith to the Astros.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Murakami, 26 in February, has been the top power hitter in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball the last several years, and that includes slugging 22 home runs in 56 games around elbow surgery and an oblique strain in 2025.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
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
He was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Houston in December 2024 that moved slugging prospect Cam Smith to the Astros.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Murakami, 26 in February, has been the top power hitter in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball the last several years, and that includes slugging 22 home runs in 56 games around elbow surgery and an oblique strain in 2025.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slugging
Verb
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Separately, emergency crews in Oman are battling a fire at fuel storage tanks, after a social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show an Iranian drone hitting a tank at the port.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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Another officer returned fire, hitting Rivera twice.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More teams are punching their tickets to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday as the major conference’s compete for championships.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Mater Dei goalkeeper Nate Enriquez made two saves by punching the ball far away from the goal with his fists.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 13-year-old allegedly punched Hernandez-Lopez multiple times in the face, knocking him unconscious before deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Monaco, despite being reduced to 10 men in both legs, also came unexpectedly close to knocking them out of the play-offs.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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As opposed to slapping a host of aerodynamic elements on there, Xiaomi's designers integrated the aerodynamics into the car's shape itself.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Now, further observations of the aftermath of the mission – which entailed intentionally slamming a vehicle into a space rock – is revealing something unexpected in the binary system of asteroids.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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All forms of assault, including slamming someone against a wall, stabbing and punching, are not OK.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Residents in several neighborhoods have been protesting at night as the capital has been plunged into darkness, banging pots and pans and shouting anti-government slogans.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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Every so often, a shot sailed wide, the puck banging loudly against the glass behind the net.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Using traditional Ukrainian folklore songs, voiceover plus pounding music, the stakes these young people confront become clearly apparent.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
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Everything around him pounding in its pulse, the song of the world thronging in all its discord.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slugging. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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