braining

verb

present participle of brain
as in cudgeling

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for braining
  1. spearing
  2. stabbing
  3. flailing
  4. lashing
  5. slashing
  6. whipping
  7. thrashing
  8. sapping
Verb
  • When staking dahlias in late summer, take care to avoid spearing the tubers.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of spearing
Verb
  • Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, both Dominican citizens, are accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Even the worst days doing this are exponentially better than the potential of waking up to my elderly roommate stabbing me in the pancreas.
    — Tim Savage, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The second-best moment came in Ireland to start this season, when UNC held on to beat what now looks like a flailing TCU team in a rematch.
    — David Ubben, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • So, why now, halfway through the first take of the shoot, was Axl flailing his arm like a windmill with his jacket hurling around through space like a lasso?
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of flailing
Verb
  • These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.
    — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • But Milei is trying to recast Argentina as a destination for foreign wealth, slashing public spending, dismantling regulations and courting investment in the country's vast oil and mineral resources.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • States have already started slashing caregivers’ pay and other critical disability services in anticipation of Medicaid cuts that will roll out next year.
    — STAT, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Some patients are arguably mad, others thrashing against their circumstances.
    — Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Apparently, McQueen made the most of the Ferrari, thrashing it along Southern California’s Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland Drive.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of thrashing
Verb
  • Partita takes a poem that vibrates with political energy and domesticates it, sapping this very famous verse of its revolutionary bite.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Stubbornly high inflation has been sapping consumer confidence and pressuring the Fed, which recently raised its benchmark interest rate in an effort to cool prices.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sapping
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.

Browse Nearby Words

braininess
braining
brainless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Braining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braining. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All