maul

1 of 2

noun

ˈmȯl 

: a heavy often wooden-headed hammer used especially for driving wedges

also : a tool like a sledgehammer with one wedge-shaped end that is used to split wood

maul

2 of 2

verb

mauled; mauling; mauls

transitive verb

1

: beat, bruise

2

: mangle sense 1

3

: to handle roughly

mauler noun

Synonyms

Verb

• maltreat
• manhandle
• mishandle
• rough (up)

Examples of maul in a Sentence

Verb

A bear killed one hiker and badly mauled the other.

demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

John Franklin-Myers mauls RT Rosengarten and gets sack, knocking Baltimore out of FG position. —Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024

Cama’s 7-point try box came in the 74th minute and was a result of the Legion muscling their way to a series of successful scrums, mauls and rucks before Cama punched it over inside the 5-meter line area. —Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

Verb

But that encounter doesn’t go as planned, leaving Sergei badly mauled and near death. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2024

The Indianapolis Colts will try to avoid being mauled by a Super Bowl favorite this weekend at home. —Justin L. MacK, Axios, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English malle mace, maul, from Anglo-French mail, from Latin malleus; akin to Old Church Slavic mlatŭ hammer, Latin molere to grind — more at meal

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

maul

1 of 2 noun

ˈmȯl 

: a heavy hammer often with a wooden head used especially for driving wedges or posts

maul

2 of 2 verb

1

: to beat and bruise severely

2

: mangle entry 1 sense 1

3

: to handle roughly

mauler noun