as in hammering
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1
as in bumping
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the car bashed into the tree with glass-shattering force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slamming
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
you have to bash that door hard in order to get it open
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the angry child kept bashing her toy with a hammer until it broke
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
in all of talk radio no other host seems to enjoy bashing liberals as much as he does
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bashing
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Several former players have had enough of the Bam bashing.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Powell, known for a cool head and a quiet demeanor, has consistently avoided direct confrontations with Trump, even as the president's personal displeasure with the Fed chair escalated from behind the scenes pressure to public bashing.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
In the same way that writing had taught me to pay attention to life, to perpetually hoover up sensory details and bits of dialogue around me, trash bashing cultivated a new propensity for seeing interesting possibilities in everyday items.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Those optics gave Democrats, particularly the moderate gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, room to run on the economy while largely steering clear of Trump-bashing.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Anthony Izaguirre The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The move comes just a few months after Mamdani took office, following a bitter campaign season last year that had the two Democrats taking turns bashing each other in often caustic and personal terms.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Trump’s media-bashing, often a dull roar in the background, is an unusually loud howl right now.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Paramount declined to comment on the remarks by Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has a lot of experience in bashing the mainstream media.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Nathan Lane, who famously played an obsessive Maria Callas fan in Terrence McNally’s play The Lisbon Traviata, had some harsh words for the opera- and ballet-bashing Timothée Chalamet on today’s The View.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
In a letter obtained by Variety on Monday, Tarantino called out Arquette for bashing his film.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
There was, unsurprisingly, a great deal of Trump-bashing and much talk of affordability, or rather, the excruciating lack of it in this priciest of states.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
The shot of drummer Ilan Rubin pairs a jangly guitar with snare bashing.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
Which seems like the anxiety Chalamet was trying to express with his needless opera bashing.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Several former players have had enough of the Bam bashing.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Powell, known for a cool head and a quiet demeanor, has consistently avoided direct confrontations with Trump, even as the president's personal displeasure with the Fed chair escalated from behind the scenes pressure to public bashing.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
In the same way that writing had taught me to pay attention to life, to perpetually hoover up sensory details and bits of dialogue around me, trash bashing cultivated a new propensity for seeing interesting possibilities in everyday items.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Those optics gave Democrats, particularly the moderate gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, room to run on the economy while largely steering clear of Trump-bashing.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The move comes just a few months after Mamdani took office after a bitter campaign season last year that had the two Democrats taking turns bashing each other in often caustic and personal terms.
—Anthony Izaguirre The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The move comes just a few months after Mamdani took office, following a bitter campaign season last year that had the two Democrats taking turns bashing each other in often caustic and personal terms.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Trump’s media-bashing, often a dull roar in the background, is an unusually loud howl right now.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Paramount declined to comment on the remarks by Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has a lot of experience in bashing the mainstream media.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Nathan Lane, who famously played an obsessive Maria Callas fan in Terrence McNally’s play The Lisbon Traviata, had some harsh words for the opera- and ballet-bashing Timothée Chalamet on today’s The View.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
In a letter obtained by Variety on Monday, Tarantino called out Arquette for bashing his film.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
There was, unsurprisingly, a great deal of Trump-bashing and much talk of affordability, or rather, the excruciating lack of it in this priciest of states.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
The shot of drummer Ilan Rubin pairs a jangly guitar with snare bashing.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bashing
Noun
-
Yes, Super Mario Galaxy Movie will have all the hammering power of Imax and PLF screens.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Ronnie Moyers heard the bird hammering in the woods one morning in late February, several weeks before the species usually shows up in Virginia’s western highlands.—
Sarah Kaplan,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Then Buttered Popcorn dethroned it in 1998, bumping the cherry classic from its perch.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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The coaching staff and team members all jumped around on the sideline in celebration, with players chest bumping Mullins, and coach Dan Hurley had an interaction with a referee that went viral and brought backlash.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The wing struck the roof of a home before slamming into an exterior wall of a second home next door.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The adjective ‘brave’ should never be used in reference to a person attacking a dead person.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Trump reacted by attacking Springsteen over his physical appearance and urging his MAGA fanbase to boycott the tour.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But because this is a derby, we’re supposed to believe this latest thrashing is a statement.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Carrington, who converted a program-record nine 3-pointers in a 90-73 thrashing at Washington on Saturday, was 4 of 8 behind the arc, and sophomore power forward Austin Rapp as 3 of 6.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The oil shortage has also affected public services and food transportation, prompting rare protests in some cities, with citizens banging pots and pans and lighting bonfires in the darkness.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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Many of us at City Hall also have been banging our heads against the wall about it, but the situation is more grim than most Chicagoans realize.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Airlines across the region, like Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific are slapping hefty fuel surcharges on flights; Vietnam and the Philippines are even weighing whether to ground planes.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
But every so often there comes a day that is so different—so unusual—so spectacular that its happening can only be chalked up to old-fashioned, knee-slapping good luck.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bashing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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