braining

verb

present participle of brain
as in cudgeling

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for braining
  1. spearing
  2. stabbing
  3. flailing
  4. lashing
  5. slashing
  6. whipping
  7. thrashing
  8. sapping
Verb
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Individual stakes for each plant should be installed before planting your dahlias to avoid spearing the tubers.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026
Definition of spearing
Verb
  • The California woman who fled to Mexico after fatally stabbing her wife, a captain with the state’s wildland firefighting agency, was sentenced this week to 36 years to life in prison, officials said.
    — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In June 2018, McFatridge was accused of stabbing his mother with a spear, authorities have said.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • Her arms and legs flailing, the infant falls silent, according to the arrest report.
    — Jane Park, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Top McCain-Palin aides later acknowledged that backlash to the Couric interview, as well as Palin's flailing performance in other sit-downs, influenced the campaign's trajectory.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of flailing
Verb
  • Odysseus ended up lashing himself to the mast and ordering his crew to plug their ears with wax.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Vinicius Jr started each of Brazil’s five matches at the World Cup and played a starring role in the group stage, lashing in an excellent goal against Morocco, scoring and assisting against Haiti, and adding a brace against Scotland.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • The startup anticipates slashing its AI token spend by 75%, from $15-20 million to $4-5 million annually, as a result of the AI ban policy.
    — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Retailers are slashing their sizing in the GLP-1 era, both in physical stores and online.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • Two months later, the couple went Instagram official, as the SKIMS founder was featured in a video which showed the F1 driver whipping around in his Ferrari F40 at the Daikoku Parking Area in Tokyo, Japan.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Mercedes removed Willow’s cat, but Willow answered by whipping Mercedes with the AEW Women’s World Championship belt.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • That night, the horse was thrashing and writhing in agony, suffering from the pain of its wound.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Within two weeks, later symptoms may include anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, being very thirsty but panicked by fluids, having lots of saliva and aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of thrashing
Verb
  • The yield surge is largely a result of mounting investor concerns about persistent US inflation and ballooning government debt, as well as competition from corporate AI-buildout debt that is sapping demand for Treasuries.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The transition from farms, the open range, and artisanal workshops to offices and large, impersonal, factories was seen as sapping virility—just as our tiny cubicles and remote workstations are said to do today.
    — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of sapping
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.

Browse Nearby Words

braininess
braining
brainless
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Cite this Entry

“Braining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braining. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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