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
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Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
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Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Old timers can recall when clockwork storms pounded in the summer and drizzled in the winter.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The fort stood high above the river, where fearsome artillery was able to turn back the Union gunboats that had pounded low-lying Fort Henry into submission.—
Bill Steiden,
Des Moines Register,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has lashed out at a number of G7 members and NATO allies for not responding to his calls for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, although in recent days several of them had indicated a willingness to back appropriate action to restore the key waterway to normal traffic.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Many Banksy fans mourned the loss of the mystery and lashed out at the news outlet.—
Laurie Kellman,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The agents appeared to know young Markell was losing weight, forced to eat crappy food, whipped with a belt and slapped around.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The South Florida man, who bears more than a striking resemblance to Jeffrey Epstein, was cruising down I-95 in his convertible about a week ago when a passerby whipped out his phone.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Crow-Armstrong had support from his team during Friday’s news conference, where first baseman Michael Busch, manager Craig Counsell, hitting coach Dustin Kelly, assistant hitting coach John Mallee and staff assistant AJ Lewis took in the scene.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Alcantara left the mound with a lead, courtesy of the bottom of Miami’s lineup stringing together hits in the second.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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
-
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
-
After a review, it was decided that Raddysh was knocked to the ice and into the crease, prohibiting Vasilevskiy from a possible save.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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But reports that Iran had responded negatively to the proposal briefly knocked index futures off their pre-market highs and lifted oil prices off their morning lows.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20over. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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