work over

verb

Definition of work overnext
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly the mob boss's thugs really worked him over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 work over There should be no pain or skin reddening during a proper session, and therapists avoid working over active swelling, infection or skin that’s undergone cancer treatment. — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 However, Clayton-Thomas continued working over the decades, both solo and as a member of later incarnations of the band. — Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 June 2026 To score 18 career goals in the World Cup is just as impressive as anything an athlete can do because of the number of moving parts that must work over a sustained period of time. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026 Her big-screen work over the years includes Little Black Book (2004) and Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere (2012). — Maggie Fremont, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for work over
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work over
  1. lick
  2. hide
  3. pound
  4. lash
  5. do
  6. hit
  7. punch out
  8. beat
Verb
  • In the end, none of them were fit to lick the boots of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 July 2026
  • But the Carolinas have their own ways of making barbecue finger-licking.
    — Amethyst Ganaway, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • For loungability there’s a king bed, a hide-a-bed sofa, a fireplace and theater seats.
    — Kris Millgate, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • When Fluffy failed to come out of hiding after 24 hours, Melissa Kirby and her husband began making and posting missing cat posters around their neighborhood.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • The heart-pounding encounter ended with the calf reunited with its mother, dramatic photos on a cellphone — and the couple continuing on to catch brook trout.
    — Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Dansby Swanson hit three home runs, including a grand slam, Michael Conforto homered twice and the Chicago Cubs pounded the San Diego Padres 23-3 on Wednesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • Ukrainian officials have warned residents to guard against further strikes as Russia lashes out.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
  • Many on the right lashed out at conservative justices who joined the majority decision.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The band is forced into doing take after take in his quest to fully convey his own emotions.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of do
Verb
  • Against Cardinals’ starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore, the Braves mustered just one hit and one run through five innings of an eventual 5-3 loss.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • Thomas had hit a leadoff double, but Michael Massey, Salvador Perez and John Rave failed to drive him in.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • The Folsom Police Department responded shortly before noon Sunday, according to daily activity logs, which state an unknown suspect reportedly punched out the passenger door lock and set fire to the vehicle.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
  • The report shows that students are now 25% less likely to get these math questions – the ones AI can punch out easily, the ones that students are spending less time on – correct.
    — Derek Newton, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of punch out
Verb
  • Emanuel Sharp, Isaiah Stevens and Marquel Sutton led the way as the Kings rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors Blue 91-85 on Sunday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026
  • Egypt made its way to the round of 16 by beating Australia on penalties.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of beat

Browse Nearby Words

workouts
work over
workplace
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Work over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20over. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All