as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of working over
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working over
Verb
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Rahm is a more tame thrill ride who should be licking his chops at a venue like this, but could succumb to the conditions and never recover.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Monitor pets for behavioral changes, as pets may experience pain, licking or chewing at a wound, loss of appetite and lethargy.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Joseph, Nomkhitha and the children stood silently around the dining-room table, trying to calm their pounding hearts; the littlest ones shivered from the cold and fear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
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Eight miles down the road, Ragsdale’s friend and Alva’s former ESL teacher Lisa Weinstein woke up to pounding at her door.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Resourceful and determined to remain unseen, Becky is hiding deep in the woods while planning her own escape.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Consider, too, that another longtime passion of Swift’s is hiding in plain sight.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
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Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
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But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
Verb
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New York survived the scramble by controlling the glass and doing just enough at the free-throw line.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Several have interest in doing so now.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Kane looked laboured and lost at Euro 2024 but England should be getting the best version of him in the coming weeks, which gives them a chance of beating any opponent.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Renard led the team in the 2022 World Cup, famously beating Argentina 2-1 in the group stage.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20over. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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