as in licked
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worked over
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
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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Show Viz Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest had counter-attacking licked.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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The afternoon sun licked the windscreen of the car, and the heat boiled my skin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Coen repeatedly pounded his chest, seemingly signaling that Lawrence needed to hit his receivers lower.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Eighteen students who fled from the shooting took shelter at a home just down the road, after an initial group of them pounded on the door asking for help, resident Don Cygan told 9News.—
Katie Langford,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The president has frequently lashed out at celebrities who have spoken out against him, recently including the likes of Taylor Swift, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Ben-Gvir, who leads a small far-right ultranationalist party, lashed out at the court ruling Sunday.—
Natalie Melzer,
Twin Cities,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With notes of caramel, maple sugar, and whipped coconut, Ellis Brooklyn’s latest launch proves that sweet can still be sophisticated.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
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As the winds whipped across the seaside links-style layout, the competition heated up.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 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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The jeans also have a cropped length that hits right at the ankle and patch pockets that not only look cute, but are also functional.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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Denholm is giving interviews to explain the board’s decision to award Musk a pay package that could be worth $1 trillion if the company hits milestones for market capitalization, profits, and vehicle production.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After hooking his tee shot into trees on the adjacent 16th hole, Scheffler punched out, walked back to the 18th fairway, and shot over tents and trees to land 40 feet from the flag.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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The late, great Red Sox legend Luis Tiant also punched out 11 in his MLB debut, but with Cleveland on July 19, 1964; his performance was exactly four years after Hall of Famer Juan Marichal racked up 12 in his first career game on July 19, 1960.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Grant Delpit turned heads during the 2024 NFL season when his strong tackle knocked 252-pound running back Derrick Henry to the turf.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Progressives fumbled their 2022 campaigns for the seat, when multiple candidates with left-wing credentials knocked each other out, letting Goldman prevail with just 26% of the vote.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worked over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20over. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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