STABBING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

stabbing 1 of 2

adjective

as in scratching

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stabbing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stab

as in jabbing

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object stabbed the pesky leaf with the tines of the rake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 stabbing

Verb

Brennan was previously convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon after stabbing her 76-year-old mother to death with a butcher knife in Hollywood in 2014, according to a probable cause affidavit. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026 Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018. — Mike Toole, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 The jail, which houses alleged CEO-killer Luigi Mangione and ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, is notorious for its dire conditions and violence — including two stabbing murders in the summer of 2024. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 Their son Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing the filmmaker and his wife to death. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 After a subsequent struggle, the couple began stabbing Sangan. — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026 Thinking there was a fender-bender in the parking lot, Frederick and Bassett walked outside, heard screams and looked across the parking lot where a man was stabbing a woman in the front seat of a car. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026 Their other son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents by stabbing in December. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Blackouts and seizures, tremors that became full-body shakes, stabbing chest pains. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stabbing

Adjective

Still, the glimpses of freedom Clark offers are all the more piercing for their rarity.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty.

— USA TODAY, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of piercing

Adjective

But Sinner, with his lacerating groundstrokes and impeccable anticipation, has a returning edge over Zverev.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 12 July 2026
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

Definition of lacerating

Verb

It’s been a classic staple over decades of British comedy, which from Basil Fawlty to David Brent has rejoiced in puncturing pomposity to reveal idiocy and incompetence.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Think of it as a stamp that presses into the top layer of your skin, and deposits pigment instead of puncturing the skin thousands of times.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of puncturing

Verb

The standard way to shop usually means picking recipes first, making a list, and buying those exact ingredients regardless of price.

— Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 July 2026
Conservationists in the area have rallied around the remaining tree, slamming Homeland Security for not picking an alternative route that does not involve cutting down the trees.

— Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Definition of picking

Verb

Randy Orton returned for the first time since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, sticking Rhodes with an RKO and allowing Punk to win with his fifth GTS.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Workers can also be seen standing nearby and don't appear to notice the people sticking their hands in the water.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of sticking

Cite this Entry

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“Stabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stabbing. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of stabbing

adjective

verb

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