Thesaurus results for PUMMELING

pummeling 1 of 2

noun

variants also pummelling

as in thrashing

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pummeling

2 of 2

verb

variants also pummelling

present participle of pummel

as in pounding

to strike repeatedly pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pummeling

Noun

Photos and video shared on social media show debris thrown in the air and pummeling rain as a possible tornado touched down at Atlantic Beach on Long Island's outer barrier. — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Well, that honor goes to the 1885 New York Giants, whose 24-0 pummeling of the Buffalo Bisons has stood the test of time. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Trump’s critics, especially in Israel, worry that the agreement effectively allows Iran to repair a proxy force diminished by months of Israeli pummeling. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 Men In Blazers Reigning European champions Spain finally looked like tournament favorites, with teenage star Lamine Yamal leading it to a 4-0 pummeling of Saudi Arabia. — David Hickey, NBC news, 22 June 2026 As violent as these bouts get, fighters agree to honor the rules, even mid-pummeling. — Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 This spiritual, emotional, and physical reset is a million miles away from the hormone pummeling of current weight-loss drugs, and the aughts’ detox ethos. — Jane Alexander, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 May 2026 The increasingly gruesome pummelling continues, cross-cutting with Cassie’s discussion with Naz (Jack Topalian), calmly eating pie on the couch, about what this means to her, and how her wedding was supposed to be the best day of her life. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 28 Apr. 2026 Of course, Flextail didn't curl up, back into a corner and submit to a pummeling, counterpunching with its own tiny 1-oz inflator just a couple months later. — New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026

Verb

Russia has been pummeling Ukrainian cities with near non-stop aerial attacks, taking advantage of Kyiv’s critical shortages of air defense missiles. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026 The weather service says some parts of South Florida could see as much as 8 to 10 inches of rain this week, as storms keep pummeling the region with downpours. — Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 In both cases, the characters at least initially try to avoid violence, and harbor aspirations more personal than pummelling opponents ad nauseam. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 Over the Fourth of July weekend, a series of storms skimmed the south of the city, pummeling Coney Island and the Rockaways with sand and sending beach umbrellas spinning like tops. — Matthew Schneier, Curbed, 27 Aug. 2026 Now well west of Hawaii’s main islands, Lala had top sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) on Thursday and had begun pummeling the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a remote area at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Instead of pummeling out of the sky in a ballistic reentry, the lifting body landed sort of like an airplane. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Her scrolled embroideries have since been described as tirades, rants, and screeds—no horses or cables, just the language pummeling the eye. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026 Ukraine is ratcheting up the tempo of drone strikes pummeling Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. — Brady Africk, Washington Post, 20 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummeling

Noun

The teenager, who has excelled for The Union by scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in MLS this season, was called up to his first national camp this month and made his international debut in the US’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru on Saturday.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
The Chiefs began their season with consecutive conference victories — first a 31-10 thrashing of the Denver Broncos before a 33-30 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of thrashing

Verb

One man was already pounding another's head into a small hole that prisoners used as a toilet.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Breaking Benjamin As pounding as any heavy metal band, this Pennsylvania group hammers its way to surprisingly melodic choruses.

— Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of pounding

Noun

The butt of the Axvant is designed to double as a mallet, mostly for knocking in tent stakes and taking care of other basic, non-precision hammering.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Coastal flooding and hammering winds are already underway from North Carolina and Virginia to New Jersey, the start of a dayslong coastal flood and erosion threat that will extend into New England as the storm ramps up.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of hammering

Verb

The team also pointed out that the same circuit is responsible for the expression of normal, context-appropriate grooming and licking.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
In the post, Wouter was pictured wearing a dog cone, which is used to prevent pets from licking, chewing or scratching surgical sites or wounds.

— Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of licking

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

Noun

Box score line of the century Buried in the rubble of the Yankees’ latest bludgeoning of the now-you-see-them-now-you-don’t Boston Red Sox were two of the wackiest back-to-back box-score lines in postseason history.

— Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Over in the crumbling core of Lockland Manor, Tom’s good-guy veneer slips as Kylie develops the same suspicions that led to Ian’s bludgeoning.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of bludgeoning

Verb

That’s because there has been so much flooding, erosion, and battering by extreme winds, and an increasing number of severe and destructive storms.

— Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2026
In addition to coastal and tidal flooding, coastal erosion will also be a concern due to the long duration of rough surf battering the beaches.

— Bill Kelly, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of battering

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

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Synonyms of pummeling

noun

verb

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