as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
pummeled the mugger with her fists until help arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 pummel
Leonardo is the latest in a series of storms that have pummeled Spain and Portugal in recent weeks.
—
Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
Whether the game is a blowout or comes down to a fateful goal-line stand, loyalists of one team may leap for joy, while others might lash out in anger, pummeling their TV sets or sinking into a deep postgame funk.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
As cold fronts continue to pummel the East coast and craven billionaires and mad kings continue to play pickle-ball with our rights, lifting up the light has rarely felt more important.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, White speculates that the Hong Kong funds also got pummeled by headwinds in the Yen-carry trade—which made their financing more expensive—and exposure to recent convulsions in the silver market.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
Whether the game is a blowout or comes down to a fateful goal-line stand, loyalists of one team may leap for joy, while others might lash out in anger, pummeling their TV sets or sinking into a deep postgame funk.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
As cold fronts continue to pummel the East coast and craven billionaires and mad kings continue to play pickle-ball with our rights, lifting up the light has rarely felt more important.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, White speculates that the Hong Kong funds also got pummeled by headwinds in the Yen-carry trade—which made their financing more expensive—and exposure to recent convulsions in the silver market.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pummel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pummel
Verb
-
Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Police also found marijuana in a backpack, and one of the suspects tried to conceal his weapon by taking it out of his waistband and hiding it under the car seat, the release states.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That's why the Club digs into a level of detail others might want to hide.—
,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Behind forceful nights from Nic Claxton, who scored a career-high 28 points, and Noah Clowney, who added 22, and with three rookies taking full advantage of their minutes, the Nets found just enough offense to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-115 at Barclays Center.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The beating heart of space is the custom charcoal grille, which took six months to build just for the new locale.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The skier’s comments somehow came to the attention of the president, who lashed out at Hess on Truth Social on Sunday.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Whether the game is a blowout or comes down to a fateful goal-line stand, loyalists of one team may leap for joy, while others might lash out in anger, pummeling their TV sets or sinking into a deep postgame funk.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It’s inspired by a French silk pie, but without any eggs to whip.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
-
For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Playing on tour with Elvis Costello, the Clash, and the Cars, they’d been pelted with shoes, coins, and even knives.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Mason Lake, a photojournalist who has been exposed to various crowd-control tactics while covering protests in Portland, Oregon, said getting hit with pepper balls feels similar to being pelted with paintballs.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Brookwood junior Collier Stanton extended his arm to the wall, glanced at the scoreboard and slapped the water as his older brother, Baylor, pumped his fist behind the block.—
Ansley Gavlak,
AJC.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Having already tied his career-high in 3-pointers made, Fielder only had eyes for the basket, even as New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan slapped through the back of his arm and drew the referee’s whistle.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pummel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pummel. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
