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as in jabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
stabbed the pesky leaf with the tines of the rake
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Recent Examples of stabbing
Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Delisle pleaded guilty to stabbing his father in April 2025 and lighting the family’s mobile home on fire in the 1000 block of 3rd Street North, according to a judgment of conviction.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2026
The intruder fled, but not before stabbing the three dogs, killing RoRo, said Celestina Bishop, owner of the cemetery and the dogs.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
But Fahim forced himself into the bathroom and killed Bahm, also stabbing him more than 40 times.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
The three stabbing victims were an 84-year-old male, a 70-year-old female and a 64-year-old male.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
Cadets in the video described stabbing him with their pocketknives during a desperate struggle for the gun.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Officers learned that an altercation ended with two men allegedly assaulting another man with a baseball bat and then stabbing him in the head.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The report determined that Santa Clara police Officer Robert Allsup lawfully shot 32-year-old Nizamuddin Mohammed, who was in the midst of stabbing his unarmed roommate — likely saving the roommate’s life, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Police were called to the area by witnesses who reported a woman was actively stabbing a man.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Delisle pleaded guilty to stabbing his father in April 2025 and lighting the family’s mobile home on fire in the 1000 block of 3rd Street North, according to a judgment of conviction.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2026
The intruder fled, but not before stabbing the three dogs, killing RoRo, said Celestina Bishop, owner of the cemetery and the dogs.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
But Fahim forced himself into the bathroom and killed Bahm, also stabbing him more than 40 times.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
The three stabbing victims were an 84-year-old male, a 70-year-old female and a 64-year-old male.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
Cadets in the video described stabbing him with their pocketknives during a desperate struggle for the gun.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Officers learned that an altercation ended with two men allegedly assaulting another man with a baseball bat and then stabbing him in the head.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The report determined that Santa Clara police Officer Robert Allsup lawfully shot 32-year-old Nizamuddin Mohammed, who was in the midst of stabbing his unarmed roommate — likely saving the roommate’s life, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stabbing
Verb
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For a piece in this week’s issue, Dhruv Khullar, a practicing physician and a contributing writer, investigated this growing industry, speaking to the doctors who are tinkering with compounds and the users gamely jabbing themselves in a quest for self-optimization.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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Where their debut roars, jabbing with hooks, Two Wheels Move the Soul instead inverts the noise until the sound becomes pillowy and comforting.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The ping of pickleball play produces a uniquely piercing and repetitive sound that has led to contentious lawsuits and controversies across the entire country, including just north in Fox Point, as the sport has rapidly grown in popularity over the last few years.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Iranian strikes on the city now appear to be puncturing the cycle, putting pressure on residential and commercial property prices — and on the people whose jobs depend on them.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Mulligan delivers lacerating fragility, while Isaac turns Josh’s accommodating nature into a pathology, but both characters are littered with backstory details that Beef leaves hanging.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With the Chicago Bears picking toward the end of the first round for the first time in years, their NFL draft scenarios are numerous.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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When picking an airplane drink, water is the only one that actually solves a problem.—
Jill Robbins,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Victor Glover described peering at the long shadows of the lunar terminator through a telephoto lens and suddenly feeling transported down to that airless, forbidding landscape and imagining himself off-road driving among jagged peaks.—
Andrew Chaikin,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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McMau maintains a level of jagged authenticity that implies there might well be a threat around every corner for both of his characters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Oil the pan Use a neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil) to prevent sticking and encourage browning.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
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Try sticking your head to that.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stabbing. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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