as in hammering
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as in slapping
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
kept socking the punching bag until he was exhausted
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Recent Examples of socking
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
For some Americans, yes A weather forecast issued on Monday by the NWS shows heavy snow socking the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region this week ahead of Thanksgiving, with some storms poised to strike on the holiday.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for socking
Noun
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Software meltdown Last week, software stocks took a hammering after Anthropic's productivity tool Claude Cowork gained traction.—
Arjun Kharpal,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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Eric Freeny blocked Smith, Bilodeau grabbed the loose ball and threw an outlet to Dailey for a hammering dunk.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even in the trailer, scenes of slapping dough, Robbie and Elordi kissing in the rain and Elordi licking a wall were telltale signs that this would be a heightened version of the actual romance depicted in the book.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Sometimes the figure tries and fails to stand up, slapping itself with floppy, almost boneless limbs.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images Amadou Onana’s usual whipping up of the crowd comes after every Aston Villa win.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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When your skin barrier is feeling particularly tight and angry from Arctic wing whipping, this pick is an easy fix.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As the trailer promises, those threats — whether of the high-flying, head-smashing, fiery, toothy or mysterious variety — will leave audiences on the edge of their seats, and holding onto their butts.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Most of the smashing is done by Tamburlaine, a Scythian shepherd by birth, who rises to the peaks of power, lays waste to one kingdom after another, and has the temerity, at the climax of Part 1, not to die.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, bitcoin has dropped 50% since hitting a record high above $126,000 in October.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The car collided with the bicyclist before continuing another block and hitting the bakery section of a 99 Ranch Market location in the Westwood neighborhood.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Stevenson played his best game in the Pats’ regular-season finale, a 38-10 thrashing of Miami.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
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And, the 56-22 CFP semifinal Peach Bowl thrashing of Oregon began with Ponds’ interception return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Buzelis was still suspended midair when Collin Sexton backpedaled underneath the forward, knocking his legs backward to send the younger player crashing to the floor, stomach-first.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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That's when Palmer punched Simpson in the mouth, knocking him to the floor, court records say.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Socking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/socking. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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