as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
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Recent Examples of working over
Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.
—
Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Using clean hands and working over a colander, wring out the extra water and tear the soaked bread into pieces.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Oct. 2025
Mary Catherine Kinney, who recently started working over there and has always been a big cheerleader in my corner, just as a friend and someone who likes music.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
John Cooper described how much Redford enjoyed working over ideas with young filmmakers at the Sundance Institute each summer.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Republican senators are growing increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal to avoid working over the weekend.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Using clean hands and working over a colander, wring out the extra water and tear the soaked bread into pieces.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Oct. 2025
Mary Catherine Kinney, who recently started working over there and has always been a big cheerleader in my corner, just as a friend and someone who likes music.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
John Cooper described how much Redford enjoyed working over ideas with young filmmakers at the Sundance Institute each summer.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Republican senators are growing increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal to avoid working over the weekend.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working over
Verb
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Both have walked away from battles licking their wounds.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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Five caribou stood licking at the stain.—
Frank Glaser,
Outdoor Life,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tornado sirens, cell phone alerts, high winds and pounding rain woke up Michigan residents as severe weather pushed through the state overnight Tuesday.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Visitors can enjoy heart-pounding adventures like zip lining through the forest canopy, rock climbing on the gorge’s steep cliffs, and whitewater rafting on the New River’s epic Class I to V rapids.—
Jordan Charbonneau,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit alleged that Alden facilities often were staffed at just 50 percent of the legal requirements, then hiding it from regulators in part through ghost workers and false reports.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Stop hiding behind other people and just say it yourself.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Things are not going well at the moment, so the president is lashing out.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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After lashing out at Morgan for suggesting that Lucia was a suspect, Karadec shows up at Morgan’s front door to apologize, leading to a tearful heart-to-heart between the partners.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the bottom of the eighth, former Giant Camilo Doval struck out the side, punching out Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — all swinging.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Subtlety never stood a chance, with Cardi leaning fully into the chaos all night — chopping the air with her arms, sticking out her tongue, whipping her head, contorting her body, dropping into splits and backbends without warning.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Apr. 2026
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State’s attorneys allege the pair engaged in a long-term pattern of mental and physical abuse of young Markell, including whipping him with a belt.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even the Altitude Edition with the black wheels -- at the time no one was really doing that.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The authority on gardening in the South loved doing live shows and meeting his fans.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On the throw home, Williams advanced to second, beating a tag, and Brown raced home from third to score the third run.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Deni Avdija had 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Blazers, who advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 by beating the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20over. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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