as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
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Recent Examples of pummel
Certainly, the viewership for the Coca-Cola 600 won’t rival that of Thursday night football (the NFL pummels every other American pro sports league in terms of TV ratings).
—
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2025
The Boston City Council unanimously approved a home rule petition that would hike disability pension benefits for a former city schoolteacher who was pummeled by a 16-year-old student in a 2021 attack that left her with traumatic brain damage.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
The Kansas City area was pummeled with up to 4 inches of rain, 80 mph winds and hail on Monday afternoon.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2025
After trailing by double digits in every prior game of the series, the Knicks flipped the script — pummeling the Celtics in a wire-to-wire 119-81 rout to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, their first appearance since 2000.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2025
The Boston City Council unanimously approved a home rule petition that would hike disability pension benefits for a former city schoolteacher who was pummeled by a 16-year-old student in a 2021 attack that left her with traumatic brain damage.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
The Kansas City area was pummeled with up to 4 inches of rain, 80 mph winds and hail on Monday afternoon.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2025
After trailing by double digits in every prior game of the series, the Knicks flipped the script — pummeling the Celtics in a wire-to-wire 119-81 rout to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, their first appearance since 2000.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
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But Fahy, Alcock, and director Nicole Kassell are also very good at their jobs, and so even downright bizarre moments like Simone chewing Michaela’s used gum or Devon randomly licking a landscaper’s neck wind up making a strange sort of sense.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
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Jose shrugs, pleads with her to not lick anyone at the inn, and leaves.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Though Polish presidential candidates often stand as individuals, rather than representatives of a party, there is little hiding their affiliations, and each major party historically endorses and campaigns for a candidate.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
2 June 2025
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Ukraine was able to smuggle drones deep into Russia by hiding them in the tops of flatbed trucks, which parked near military bases before the drones lifted off to attack planes on the runway.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Such pollutants accumulate on the ocean’s surface near the Tijuana River, and then are released as wave action pounds the water and forms bubbles that burst.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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After the car came to a stop, the video showed, angry Liverpool fans swarmed it again, pounding on its windows and exterior as police rushed to secure the scene.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The men beat 27-year-old Chin with a baseball bat, cracking his skull.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
31 May 2025
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Those shares traded higher by nearly 8.5% after the company released earnings that beat forecasts and raised forward guidance.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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In a second Memorial Day social media post, Trump focused largely on lashing out at federal judges and perceived political opponents.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
26 May 2025
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President Donald Trump lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine while talks are ongoing between the two countries to find an end to the ongoing conflict.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 May 2025
Verb
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This small kitchen appliance has a variable speed trigger switch to make blending, pureeing, frothing, whipping and chopping as easy as pressing a button.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2025
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The Clippers were playing in Houston and the Clippers were whipping the Rockets’ ass.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Minutes before a team of fully uniformed, stick-carrying players were to leave the dressing room to take the ice for the national anthem, a rat pelted across the carpet.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
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And then sit there getting pelted by even more rain and win.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
15 May 2025
Verb
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The European Union has been working to strike a trade agreement with the US, conscious in particular of Trump’s recent threat to slap a 50% tariff on goods arriving from the bloc.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
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Price hikes happened quickly after Trump slapped steep levies on trading partners, whether large or small.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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