as in licking
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 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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Then they got knocked to the ice, stomped on and left licking their feathers after the first two periods of their Stanley Cup playoff game with the Vegas Golden Knights.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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But host Kristen Kish is licking her lips at the prospect of taking the show even further afield in the future.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
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JWords takes a different tack on Sound Therapy, embracing gentle synth melodies and pads that take the edge off her skittering drums and pounding basslines.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
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Apple Bank of America said Apple remains a table-pounding buy.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Not every summer movie needs to be a mystery that unfolds hallway after hallway, with a creature hiding around every corner ready to pop out.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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This means that bills get hearings, debates happen in public, and legislators are required to vote on issues instead of hiding behind process.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The whole episode, Kyle is a pendulum swinging between anger and sadness, between lashing out and injuring Amanda, and looking to be the victim.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
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San José Mayor Matt Mahan started off the debate by lashing out at both Republicans and Democrats.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
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When Houston did rally another time in the fifth, Ohtani got out of it by punching out a future Hall of Famer, Jose Altuve.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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Pérez looked in control almost immediately, striking out Garrett Mitchell to begin the game and punching out five through his first three innings.—
Noah Gulley,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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It was delivered by the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, whose torso uncorked in a fit of frustration that sent his right elbow whipping toward Reid’s windpipe like a torpedo bat flying through the strike zone.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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That abundance of tall buildings also contributes to the city’s famous wind, which was really whipping all four days of our visit.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Our desire to see each other can remain the same but the means of doing so have to be flexible.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
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Just a wonderful man that teaches you lessons, teaches you camaraderie, unity, doing things as a unit, that no one’s different.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
Verb
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This is as good as any New York team has looked in a long time, maybe since the Giants got on that roll on their way to beating the 18-0 Patriots in Glendale, Ariz.—
Mike Lupica,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
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The surge in energy prices helped Saudi Aramco to report a 26% year-on-year jump in first-quarter profit on Sunday, beating analysts’ forecasts.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20over. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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