as in licked
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
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Recent Examples of worked over
For what would be his last and most ambitious venture outside of the Dead, Weir unexpectedly reached out to Was, with whom Weir had occasionally worked over the previous two-plus decades.
—
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This year, about 500 volunteers worked over the MLK celebration weekend.
—Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Roxanne worked over Iyo’s left leg as Sky fought from underneath.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
The longtime consultant, business columnist, and news contributor has witnessed what has worked over the past four decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Overtime rules in Michigan remain the same, requiring that employers pay nonexempt employees 1 ½ times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a seven-day work week.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Forest Hills has worked over the last few years to expand their internship and mentorship program, which is now called XCL.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Graves said the police department worked over the summer, reprogramming the light bars to show a steady blue light.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Bradley worked over a pair of walks in the first inning, getting out unscathed.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This year, about 500 volunteers worked over the MLK celebration weekend.
—Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Roxanne worked over Iyo’s left leg as Sky fought from underneath.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
The longtime consultant, business columnist, and news contributor has witnessed what has worked over the past four decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Overtime rules in Michigan remain the same, requiring that employers pay nonexempt employees 1 ½ times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a seven-day work week.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Forest Hills has worked over the last few years to expand their internship and mentorship program, which is now called XCL.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Graves said the police department worked over the summer, reprogramming the light bars to show a steady blue light.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Bradley worked over a pair of walks in the first inning, getting out unscathed.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked over
Verb
-
Legend has it that when Buddha was painting the sky, blue pigment dripped onto the floor and his inquisitive chow chow licked the puddle, coloring the dog’s tongue permanently.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The Gators pounded the Razorbacks in the paint, outscored them from long range and clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The rain that pounded the streets of Newtown on Thursday, February 26 didn’t stop her and husband Prince William from interacting with the Welsh for twenty-five minutes, according to the BBC.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maza drew in Hamburg players before flicking the ball on for Kofane, who lashed it into the top-left corner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The puck went to Clarke, who adjusted his angle and whipped a shot through a Corey Perry screen.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
So everyone whipped out their phones at the table, which is a very rude thing to do, but in an emergency—in a Hollywood emergency—it was allowed.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the bottom of the inning, Temo Becerra, a senior, hit just his fourth collegiate homer with a shot into the Crawford Boxes in left field.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The heated rivalry between the Pentagon and Anthropic just hit a new horizon Friday.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, nor did HUD officials.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The two men then said Smollett paid them to stage the attack, and Smollett was charged with filing a false police report; the charges were later dropped after Smollett paid a fine and did community service.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But two plays later, Drake Maye was lunging forward on a run and had the ball punched out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Packer defensive lineman Willie Davis somehow punched out the ball.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One of the teens fell off the vehicle and was knocked unconscious.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Another officer knocked repeatedly at the door, but there was no answer, though Wojcik said the officers could see someone was inside.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20over. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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