as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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On April 30, 2025, the dog was reportedly licking its tail and lethargic.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Son disappeared from public view, licking his wounds while also plotting his comeback.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Using traditional Ukrainian folklore songs, voiceover plus pounding music, the stakes these young people confront become clearly apparent.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Everything around him pounding in its pulse, the song of the world thronging in all its discord.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps the Easter bunny got a little hungry after hiding all those eggs.—
Laura Fenton,
Parents,
5 Mar. 2026
-
From the dealmakers in the Polo Lounge to the celebs hiding away in the spacious bungalows, all manner of tastemakers and wannabes have stopped by the Pink Palace at some time or another.—
Tim Chester,
Robb Report,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And yet, Trump has also managed to avoid complex questions about those issues — the most pressing before his administration — and despite Democrats and some of his own supporters lashing out over them.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Noem and her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski -- who is reportedly also departing DHS -- both had a knack for lashing out, yelling and berating staff that crossed them, according to sources.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Taylor also weighed in on keeping her cool on stage when things go wrong, such as embracing her wig flying off and whipping it around her head, the proper form for double-dutching and having patience in Hollywood.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
26 Feb. 2026
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in December that the bank is doing a lot more because of AI.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
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An officer monitoring a vehicle X-ray machine did not detect anything wrong with the vehicle, but another officer doing a physical inspection spotted the woman’s foot, according to the complaint.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrates after beating Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom (40) for the game-winning goal during overtime in an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Dallas.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20over. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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