as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of work over
And their hard work over the years has shown, man, it’s shown.
—
David Delgado, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The players say little in games, letting Bibby work over referees when warranted.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The sign, which depicts laundress hard at work over a washtub, was built for the Econo-Wash/Maytag Laundry circa 1959, according to Richard Jarvis, senior historic preservation planner.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for work over
David Delgado, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The players say little in games, letting Bibby work over referees when warranted.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The sign, which depicts laundress hard at work over a washtub, was built for the Econo-Wash/Maytag Laundry circa 1959, according to Richard Jarvis, senior historic preservation planner.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for work over
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work over
Verb
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Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
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Spit Heathcliff spends a lot of time straight-up licking Cathy’s face in this movie.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This means that bills get hearings, debates happen in public, and legislators are required to vote on issues instead of hiding behind process.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Maybe Mark Kelly and several other dissident members of Congress are hiding the sun in a big bag.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All testers dug the cavernous main compartment, which features stretchy crisscrossing straps that helped lash clothes down, keeping contents organized on the road.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside,
17 Feb. 2026
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Clinton, instead of delivering the usual liberal-candidate-seeks-Black-votes hominy, lashed out at her words.—
Johanna Neuman,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nor did Liu attempt a quadruple toe loop as did the Russian Adeliia Petrosian.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Through a stellar debut season, freshman Jazzy Davidson has done everything for USC that was asked of her.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As former agent and cap expert Joel Corry told me, the amount that Ross agrees to pay of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary (for a new team) would not have much effect on his Dolphins’ dead money cap hit provided the trade is made after June 1.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Some of the students at Naperville North tried to mimic the coach’s actions, working on their technique, while other appeared to be more focused on hitting the ball to their friend as hard as possible.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Liam Gagne recorded 24 saves and Billerica rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Milton 3-2 in the first round of the Irish American Shootout.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
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Skincare delivered €551 million in sales and represented 11% of the group’s full-year revenue, beating market expectations.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Work over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20over. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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