maul 1 of 2

verb

Definition of maulnext
1
as in to abuse
to abuse physically demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up

Synonyms & Similar Words

maul

2 of 2

noun

as in hammer

Related Words

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 maul
Verb
And, a year ago, a 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by four dogs in Miami Gardens. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026 Also in June, a woman was mauled by a shark at one of Australia's most popular beaches in Sydney. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
The half ended with the Free Jacks once again putting the Sabercats under pressure, trying to force their way over the tryline through a rolling maul, and twice failing to score. — Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 Minutes later, Hanover scored back-to-back tries with near identical mauls down the sideline. — Marcello Rossetti, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for maul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maul
  1. abuse
  2. lick
  3. hammer
  4. attack
  5. pound
  6. sledgehammer
  7. manhandle
  8. lash
Verb
  • The charges come with additional special allegations, around the victim’s vulnerability and that Tapia abused a trustworthy position.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.
    — Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • Popo would lick her cone ever so gracefully, never dripping or messing up the lining of her magenta lipstick.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Teams have to be licking their chops after seeing what Tampa Bay did to Dallas last Thursday night, especially considering the defense (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have shown through five weeks.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of lick
Noun
  • Little Neil mustered his courage and brought a hammer down on the bird.
    — S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ever since the Dodgers dropped a billion-dollar hammer on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the rest of baseball has melted down.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of hammer
Verb
  • Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • When Louise would remember the show decades later, the audience was always so electric that the room exploded into stamping feet and pounding fists.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound
Noun
  • The Europol report, meanwhile, revealed that these heists are increasingly using tools such as sledgehammers, axes, crowbars –– and even explosives.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In 2024 its activists broke into a factory owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK, smashing equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of sledgehammer
Verb
  • However, that doesn’t explain how they were manhandled by the Gamecocks last week.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Being manhandled at home by a team with the sport’s sixth-lowest payroll is a negative.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of manhandle
Verb
  • Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.
    — Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lash

Browse Nearby Words

maudlin
maul
mauled
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Cite this Entry

“Maul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maul. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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