as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pummel
Simulating the supernova with computer models, the team suggested that the radiation from this stellar explosion pummeled the our planet for around 100,000 years after the event.
—
Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Harsh cold descended on the nation's midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 13 people, including at least 11 in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains.
—CBS News, 17 Feb. 2025
In April 2024, Russia destroyed one of Ukraine's largest power plants, and in December 2024, Russia pummeled Ukraine's power grid.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025
Chris Kirkland For the first two billion years of its life, Earth was regularly pummeled by huge space rocks, including an absolutely mammoth collision with a Mars-sized body that gave birth to the Moon about 4.5 billion years ago.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Harsh cold descended on the nation's midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 13 people, including at least 11 in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains.
—CBS News, 17 Feb. 2025
In April 2024, Russia destroyed one of Ukraine's largest power plants, and in December 2024, Russia pummeled Ukraine's power grid.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025
Chris Kirkland For the first two billion years of its life, Earth was regularly pummeled by huge space rocks, including an absolutely mammoth collision with a Mars-sized body that gave birth to the Moon about 4.5 billion years ago.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
-
Marchand has crossed lines by licking players, or repeatedly punching a hockey pacifist like Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin in a final series.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis are licking their chops.—
Jeffrey Gedmin,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The ancient springhead, natural waterpark, and retro roadside attraction has more than a few secrets hidden in its eelgrass.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
-
But all that family turmoil was hidden, and to most who knew him, Dr. Schwartz seemed to have a beautiful life until the evening of May 28, 2014, when Becky Schwartz came home and discovered her home in disarray.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Schumer has taken a public pounding from his party's base, not to mention House Democrats, since voting to keep the government open last week.—
Stephen Neukam,
Axios,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Southern California was being pounded by a major storm Thursday morning, bringing evacuation warnings and fears of mudslides.—
Shelby Grad,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2025
-
For example, the typical U.S. ESG stock fund beat returns of its peers by about 4 percentage points in 2020, according to a Morgan Stanley analysis.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
However, Cabello lashed out at U.S. authorities, accusing them of unjustly detaining and deporting Venezuelans under false claims of gang affiliations.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
-
In early March, tropical storm Alfred battered Australia’s heavily populated east coast, lashing the region with damaging winds and heavy rain for several days as hundreds of thousands of homes in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales lost power.—
Edward Szekeres and Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Meister can often immediately identify on an MRI that a pitcher throws a sweeper—a hard slider that the pitcher whips to get about fifteen inches of horizontal movement from the ball.—
Lindsey Adler,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2025
-
The moment, which made the episode’s final cut, occurs when Drummond whips Mark S. around and pushes him into a wall.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
His supporters swiftly took to the streets in Bucharest, CNN’s affiliate Antena 3 reported, with some tearing up asphalt from the roads to pelt police who had amassed to guard the BEC building.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Tumultuous Time They were likely formed during a particularly tumultuous time, when both Earth and the Moon were being pelted by celestial objects.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But that all changed in December, when Trump first threatened to slap heavy tariffs on his northern neighbor.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The short answer: President Trump and his insistence on slapping tariffs on key trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share