variants
also pummelling
as in thrashing
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variants
also pummelling
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pummeling
Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Stout, bluesy guitar and a pummeling rhythm lead to McBryde turning in a ferocious, fearless vocal, singing about a litany of vices and urges that stay steeped her bloodline.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2026
Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The signature chi massage is based around meridian lines—a questionnaire determines which is most suitable for you—and the company’s bespoke oils are used in the massage, which is good, although maybe not one for those requiring serious pummelling.
—Jemima Sissons, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
His bandmates, naturally, summon apocalyptic cacophonies of gut-rattling guitar-riff fuselage and pummeling drumming.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
The electric vehicle industry has taken a pummeling this year.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Dec. 2025
In its long history as the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, the town has faced fires, maritime tragedies, and wild winter storms with lashing winds and pummeling rain.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2025
How to Watch Georgia Tech at Boston College Boston College’s woes continued last week as the Eagles took their ninth straight loss and fell to 0-6 in ACC play with a 45-13 pummeling at home from SMU.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Through a mix of orders, shaming, and a whole lot of banging of the gavel, the octogenarian managed to avoid a nightmare scenario of one of his colleagues pummeling a witness.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Caught on camera, the violent altercation involved multiple suspects pummeling a man while allegedly hurling religious slurs.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Even the moderators of fan accounts have had to contend with cascade of attention constantly pummeling the show and its stars — and not all of it has been positive.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
Oil prices spiked near $120 per barrel before falling back Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East and pummeling financial markets.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil prices continued to soar on Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East and pummeling financial markets.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Hadel responded by punching Brown twice, sending him pummeling towards the ground, hitting his head on the pavement and lying motionless on the pavement.
—Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Jaylen Brown missed his seventh game of the season Monday in Milwaukee, sitting out with what the team called an illness on the second night of a back-to-back, and Boston won easily, pummeling the Bucks 108-81.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
In early February, at an Airbnb Peters was renting near Orlando, Peters’ girlfriend, Violet Lentz, got into a shouting, shoving and pummeling match with another woman, while Peters posted the conflict to social media, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Stout, bluesy guitar and a pummeling rhythm lead to McBryde turning in a ferocious, fearless vocal, singing about a litany of vices and urges that stay steeped her bloodline.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2026
Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The signature chi massage is based around meridian lines—a questionnaire determines which is most suitable for you—and the company’s bespoke oils are used in the massage, which is good, although maybe not one for those requiring serious pummelling.
—Jemima Sissons, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
His bandmates, naturally, summon apocalyptic cacophonies of gut-rattling guitar-riff fuselage and pummeling drumming.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
The electric vehicle industry has taken a pummeling this year.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Dec. 2025
In its long history as the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, the town has faced fires, maritime tragedies, and wild winter storms with lashing winds and pummeling rain.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2025
How to Watch Georgia Tech at Boston College Boston College’s woes continued last week as the Eagles took their ninth straight loss and fell to 0-6 in ACC play with a 45-13 pummeling at home from SMU.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Verb
Miami got off to a 1-6 start because every NFL team was pummeling the Dolphins on the ground.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
Through a mix of orders, shaming, and a whole lot of banging of the gavel, the octogenarian managed to avoid a nightmare scenario of one of his colleagues pummeling a witness.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Caught on camera, the violent altercation involved multiple suspects pummeling a man while allegedly hurling religious slurs.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Even the moderators of fan accounts have had to contend with cascade of attention constantly pummeling the show and its stars — and not all of it has been positive.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
Oil prices spiked near $120 per barrel before falling back Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East and pummeling financial markets.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil prices continued to soar on Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East and pummeling financial markets.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Hadel responded by punching Brown twice, sending him pummeling towards the ground, hitting his head on the pavement and lying motionless on the pavement.
—Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Jaylen Brown missed his seventh game of the season Monday in Milwaukee, sitting out with what the team called an illness on the second night of a back-to-back, and Boston won easily, pummeling the Bucks 108-81.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummeling
Noun
-
But because this is a derby, we’re supposed to believe this latest thrashing is a statement.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Carrington, who converted a program-record nine 3-pointers in a 90-73 thrashing at Washington on Saturday, was 4 of 8 behind the arc, and sophomore power forward Austin Rapp as 3 of 6.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That didn’t stop Uthmeier from chest-pounding across social-media platforms.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
That is when Peralta started pounding the rookie inside.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Ronnie Moyers heard the bird hammering in the woods one morning in late February, several weeks before the species usually shows up in Virginia’s western highlands.—
Sarah Kaplan,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
-
But the midfielder may get the chance to assist his team’s daunting assignment in overhauling their first-leg 6-1 hammering by Bayern in Munich.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Which seems like the anxiety Chalamet was trying to express with his needless opera bashing.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Several former players have had enough of the Bam bashing.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The president of a labor union representing Transportation Security Administration employees is lashing out at lawmakers, telling them not to leave Washington, DC, for Easter recess before passing a deal to pay its agents amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
How this showdown plays out will affect not only Anthropic’s booming business but also the way tech titans and other corporations work with an administration known for lashing out at resisters, said Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Norma Jane Lumpkin, whose long hair hung past her waist, was four decades into a life sentence for her role in the 1981 bludgeoning death of her husband.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
-
This game was expected to be a taut preview of the gold-medal game but has turned into a bludgeoning.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The phony cops bound the two museum guards on duty and then moved leisurely through the museum, battering and slashing some of the world’s most recognizable art from walls and frames.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Boxing scenes in movies, other than in a handful of classics, tend to start to look all the same, a mishmash of beads of sweat and blood and jowels distended, all fists flying and battering as two men catapult and careen across the ring.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pummeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummeling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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