as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
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 work over
And their hard work over the years has shown, man, it’s shown.
—
David Delgado, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The players say little in games, letting Bibby work over referees when warranted.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The sign, which depicts laundress hard at work over a washtub, was built for the Econo-Wash/Maytag Laundry circa 1959, according to Richard Jarvis, senior historic preservation planner.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for work over
David Delgado, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The players say little in games, letting Bibby work over referees when warranted.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The sign, which depicts laundress hard at work over a washtub, was built for the Econo-Wash/Maytag Laundry circa 1959, according to Richard Jarvis, senior historic preservation planner.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for work over
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work over
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
-
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
-
The southern Portuguese city of Alcacer do Sal, about 60 miles from Lisbon, was battling rising waters from the river Sado, with downtown areas flooded and water levels measuring roughly 7 feet high in some places.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
For people that are not tracking what that actually means, that means that ICE can do almost no arrests in the entire country … If a court rules that there’s a final order of removal, they’re removed actually by an administrative warrant, not a judicial warrant.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As former agent and cap expert Joel Corry told me, the amount that Ross agrees to pay of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary (for a new team) would not have much effect on his Dolphins’ dead money cap hit provided the trade is made after June 1.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Some of the students at Naperville North tried to mimic the coach’s actions, working on their technique, while other appeared to be more focused on hitting the ball to their friend as hard as possible.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
But two plays later, Drake Maye was lunging forward on a run and had the ball punched out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 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
Cite this Entry
“Work over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20over. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
