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working over

verb

present participle of work over
as in licking
to strike repeatedly the mob boss's thugs really worked him over

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of working over Rybakina’s serve and forehand can take any match out of her opponent’s hands, especially on grass, but the latter shot has misfired of late, and McNally’s changes in rhythm will give the 27-year-old a serious working over. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 July 2026 There should be no pain or skin reddening during a proper session, and therapists avoid working over active swelling, infection or skin that’s undergone cancer treatment. — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 However, Clayton-Thomas continued working over the decades, both solo and as a member of later incarnations of the band. — Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 June 2026 So college-bound or not, most teens would be better off working over the summer, gaining experience, skills, and perspective to see the big city beyond Santa Rosa. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 Angie Moore, a bartender at The Do Drop Inn, a bar on Main Street, was working over the weekend and watched groups of kids running past the business several times, saw youths jumping on top of a car and spotted some who made it to the rooftop of a downtown building. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 On Wednesday, the judge said that Sidhu had been given speeding penalties before the crash and had been working over 26 hours, with 16 of them being behind the wheel, per CBC. — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 15 May 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working over
  1. licking
  2. pounding
  3. hiding
  4. lashing
  5. punching out
  6. whipping
  7. doing
  8. beating
Verb
  • In the post, Wouter was pictured wearing a dog cone, which is used to prevent pets from licking, chewing or scratching surgical sites or wounds.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Baldwin’s post featured a video of the dog licking a cherry ice pop and looking at the rain.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • An early fall nor’easter is gathering strength along the central East Coast, pounding beaches in several states with heavy surf and threatening to bring coastal flooding, wind and rain to parts of the Northeast through the weekend.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Chappell Roan’s theatrical delivery rises alongside pounding drums and bright synths, transforming self-discovery into a full-room celebration.
    — Brittney Williams, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • This is precisely why one of your first purchases this season should be a fall jacket for women that complements and enhances your outfit, rather than hiding it.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026
  • All told, the McCauleys stole at least $12 million, getting creative in hiding cash — by stuffing it into jars of spaghetti sauce, for example.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.
    — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • Danny Nelson starred again from the mound for Leominster in a 4-1 win over Shepherd Hill, allowing just three hits while punching out 10 in a complete game.
    — Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
  • The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Definition of punching out
Verb
  • In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Sure, and that self-deprecation is also a fundamental principle of comedy and humor, which is a lot of what your stories are doing too.
    — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Give us a decade to get another lifetime to keep doing a little bit better.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of doing
Verb
  • Nigeria is on track to complete a 90,000 km fiber optic cable network in three years, a government minister said, beating an initial timeline for the project backed by the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • OpenAI earlier this month released GPT-6 Astra, which has sometimes been modestly beating Opus 5 in benchmarks and user sentiment.
    — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of beating

Browse Nearby Words

working out
working over
workings
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Cite this Entry

“Working over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20over. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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