MAUL Synonyms: 162 Similar and Opposite Words

maul 1 of 2

verb

Definition of maul

as in to abuse

to abuse physically demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to lick

to strike repeatedly the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up

Synonyms & Similar Words

maul

2 of 2

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 maul

Verb

In January, a 12-year-old boy died in a hospital days after he was mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 Also in June, a woman was mauled by a shark at one of Australia's most popular beaches in Sydney. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Noun

The half ended with the Free Jacks once again putting the Sabercats under pressure, trying to force their way over the tryline through a rolling maul, and twice failing to score. — Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 Minutes later, Hanover scored back-to-back tries with near identical mauls down the sideline. — Marcello Rossetti, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for maul

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maul

Verb

Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son last month.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Blanchard has said her mother abused her for years and forced her to fake serious illnesses.

— Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

The Sox move on to Cleveland while the Cubs come home to lick their wounds.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
The Bombers beat the Red Sox 9-2 in Game 2 after winning the series opening game 9-0, sending New England’s hardball heroes home to lick their wounds until next spring.

— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of lick

Noun

Prosecutors say Widdecombe was eating lunch in her Devon home July 8, when Kerry allegedly walked through the front door, beat her 21 times in the head with a hammer, took her wallet and was gone in an attack that lasted only two minutes.

— Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
She had been struck 21 times with a hammer, a court previously heard.

— Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of hammer

Verb

The recent success of a late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine, showing the drug stopped the return of melanoma, has boosted hopes that the approach can be successfully harnessed to attack other cancers.

— Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
In Ohio, Husted has been repeatedly attacked for his role in attracting data centers to Ohio as lieutenant governor.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Guadagnino has always been skilled in his choice of music (Sufjan Stevens’ alt-pop in Call Me by Your Name, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ pounding EDM in Challengers).

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Still The Hairy Ape is, in one sense, a long, furious solo — a man pounding his head against a piano while accompanied by the orchestra — and Beavers ably carries its weight through to the finale.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pound

Noun

Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Whatever is decided in November, Sterling has taken a sledgehammer to his own reputation.

— Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of sledgehammer

Verb

Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of manhandle

Verb

San Diego lashed 30 of his 88 pitches for fouls, as Misiorowski’s command and velocity escaped him in the second inning.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
An intruder pressed a knife to Beatty's neck, wrapped her face in tape, lashed her to a bed and assaulted her for hours.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lash

Browse Nearby Words

maudlin

maul

mauled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of maul

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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'?

Popular in Wordplay

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)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes