as in licked
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
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Recent Examples of worked over
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
And Welch would know; the seasoned consultant, business columnist, and news contributor has witnessed what has worked over the past four decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Bradley worked over a pair of walks in the first inning, getting out unscathed.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
White worked over the paragraph a third time, and telegraphed it to the magazine.
—Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
Sikoa worked over Zayn, even slamming him with the Spinning Solo for a nearfall.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
And Welch would know; the seasoned consultant, business columnist, and news contributor has witnessed what has worked over the past four decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Bradley worked over a pair of walks in the first inning, getting out unscathed.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
White worked over the paragraph a third time, and telegraphed it to the magazine.
—Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
Sikoa worked over Zayn, even slamming him with the Spinning Solo for a nearfall.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked over
Verb
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Some even licked the candy to soften it -- a trick used by contestants in the show.—
Hakyung Kate Lee,
ABC News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Napkins were crumpled; plates were licked.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The swing-first Toronto hitters have pounded the strike-first Seattle pitchers.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Heavy rain pounded an area from the Carolinas to Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, bringing reports of coastal flooding and hundreds of flight delays.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump has also lashed out at China over its restrictions on rare earth exports and his administration is launching a probe looking into whether China complied with a trade agreement from 2019.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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Gakpo should have equalised with an 87th-minute header that went well wide, 23 minutes after Salah lashed at a close-range shot and missed the goal by some distance.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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LaVine and Monk whipped the crowd into a frenzy, combining to make 17 of 32 from the field and 10 of 18 from 3-point range as the Kings bounced back from a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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The cold brew is bitter but topped with a fluffy, whipped cold foam that tastes almondy, sweet and spice-filled.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, nor did HUD officials.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
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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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Fall boating can mean peaceful days on Arkansas' large reservoirs while many hunters begin to hit the woods instead of the water.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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Apple’s iPhone surge Shares of Apple surged 4% to hit a new record on Monday after a report of surprisingly strong sales of its new iPhone 17.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a closeout opportunity for the defending champions, Shohei Ohtani took the mound for LA and punched out 10 batters across six-plus scoreless innings of work.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
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The mass of players converged in a pile after the snap, and as Arnold leaned across the goal line, Georgia linebacker CJ Allen punched out the football.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dončić channeled his competitive rage against the team that knocked him out of the playoffs a season ago.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Allen told the hearing that Sessions knocked glasses off a table and that his friends had asked a waiter not to serve him any more drinks.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worked over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20over. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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