mauled

American  

[mawld] / mɔld /

adjective

1. harshly treated.

   The critically mauled movie sequel has also led to countless parodies and imitations.

2. badly injured or damaged.

   In the aftermath of the fox’s visit, Robin found half her chickens missing and a badly mauled rooster inside the chicken house itself.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of maul.

Other Word Forms

• unmauled adjective

Etymology

Origin of mauled

maul ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

More recently, he appeared in “Fallout” just long enough for his character to be mauled to death by a mutant bear.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026

He treasures that trait even as he has hidden it beneath armor to avoid “being too badly mauled by the vicissitudes of life.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

He mentioned the Golden Gophers having beaten conference front-runner Michigan, their excellent help defense and their having mauled USC in the paint last weekend during a victory at the Galen Center.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

Lisa Willis, who was mauled by an XL bully months after the ban, said the attack had felt like a "horror movie" and the law was "useless".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2024

I thought he would write Everyone turned out okay, but when he passed the book back, he'd actually written, Everyone was mauled by a bear, it was very sad, let’s go get ice cream.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse