pummel

verb

pum·​mel ˈpə-məl 

pummeled also pummelled; pummeling also pummelling ˈpə-mə-liŋ 

ˈpəm-liŋ

: pound, beat

Synonyms

• bash
• baste
• bat
• batter
• beat
• belabor
• belt
• birch
• bludgeon
• buffet
• bung up
• club
• curry
• do
• drub
• fib [British]
• flog
• hammer
• hide
• lace
• lambaste
• lambast
• lash
• lather
• lick
• maul
• mess (up)
• paddle
• pelt
• pommel
• pound
• punch out
• rough (up)
• slate
• slog
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• thresh
• thump
• tromp
• wallop
• whale
• whip
• whop
• whap
• whup
• work over

Examples of pummel in a Sentence

pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived

Recent Examples on the Web

Police are searching for a woman who pummeled a fellow female straphanger on an F train in Manhattan after an argument. —Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025

Tesla stock has been pummeled since Musk joined Trump and there have been incidents of Teslas being vandalized. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025

Moreover, Tesla has been pummeled this year under competition from rival electric vehicles, particularly out of China. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025

Very quickly, Nate learns to use his affliction to his advantage via such methods as grabbing a blazing hot frying pan and pummeling his stunned opponent with it during a kitchen fight. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of pommel

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pummel

• hummel

Kids Definition

pummel

verb

pum·​mel ˈpəm-əl 

pummeled or pummelled; pummeling or pummelling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: pound entry 3 sense 2a, beat

knead and pummel the dough

2

: to defeat decisively

pummeled the competition