as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pummel
Atmospheric rivers pummeled the Southland with record-breaking rainfall that brought lush vegetation — which dried out and became combustible last summer when intense heat also shattered records.
—
Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Trump has pummeled Newsom over the wildfires, blaming the state’s environmental practices for the blaze and demanding concessions if California wants his administration’s help.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Jan. 2025
The backlash from skiers pummeled the company’s reputation on social media.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
In Lee County, homeowners who had been paying an average of $2,515 before Hurricane Ian pummeled Fort Myers Beach, saw their average premium rise 47% to $3,696.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Trump has pummeled Newsom over the wildfires, blaming the state’s environmental practices for the blaze and demanding concessions if California wants his administration’s help.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Jan. 2025
The backlash from skiers pummeled the company’s reputation on social media.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
In Lee County, homeowners who had been paying an average of $2,515 before Hurricane Ian pummeled Fort Myers Beach, saw their average premium rise 47% to $3,696.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
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The flames licked at the neighborhood’s outskirts, toasting a few leaves at the perimeter, but didn’t damage a single residence in the community.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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As Ferrell resumed singing with Johansson, Kardashian and Gasteyer, Wiig proceeded to lick Dooneese’s tiny hands and stroke Johansson’s face, tap on one of Gasteyer’s breasts and pretend to play the drums on Kardashian’s butt.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sen both understood Oberon’s desire to hide a secret and recognized a trace of her South Asian accent.—
Carolyn Kellogg,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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Alongside Marvel movie veterans Wesley Snipes as Blade and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Tatum plays Gambit as a hero hiding in The Void, waiting for his chance to strike at the sadistic Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Musk pounded his chest and raised his right arm in an angular motion while giving his speech.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
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That involved Shorrock and a few others pounding posts in the ground, putting up heavy metal fencing and twisting metal ties together.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Spencer pulls the big guy off Luca and beats the rapist into submission with his belt.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Feb. 2025
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Australia beat their oldest rivals by five wickets in their Champions Trophy group game at Lahore on Saturday.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, lashed out at the Trump administration for leaving him out of the talks.—
German Lopez,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Mr. Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of duping the U.S. into providing billions in aid to Ukraine and misusing it.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Miller was struck in the temple, whipping his hat off his head.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
21 Feb. 2025
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Eleven of his assists that season came from the right, and nine were whipped across in that fashion.—
Art de Roché,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Rain pelted the unassuming shop and office complex.—
Tim Botos,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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Their days are taken up with shooting practice, lobster racing, pelting men with fruit, and slipping poison into unattended cups of tea—and best of all, there isn’t a damsel in distress in sight.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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On the red carpet of the American Black Film Festival Honors in Los Angeles on Feb. 17, the 75-year-old actress told PEOPLE about filming the moment in which her character, Patti, slapped her daughter Angela (Taraji P. Henson) across the face during a heated confrontation on season 2 of Eli Stone.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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Just ask comedian Chris Rock, who was unceremoniously slapped by Will Smith during the 2022 Oscars after cracking a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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