maul

American  

[mawl] / mɔl /

noun

1. a heavy hammer, as for driving stakes or wedges.

2. Archaic. a heavy club or mace.

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verb (used with object)

1. to handle or use roughly.

   The book was badly mauled by its borrowers.

2. to injure by a rough beating, shoving, or the like; bruise.

   to be mauled by an angry crowd.

3. to split with a maul and wedge, as a wooden rail.

maul British  

/ mɔːl /

verb

1. to handle clumsily; paw

2. to batter or lacerate

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noun

1. a heavy two-handed hammer suitable for driving piles, wedges, etc

2. rugby a loose scrum that forms around a player who is holding the ball and on his feet

Other Word Forms

• mauler noun

Etymology

Origin of maul

First recorded in 1200–50; (noun) Middle English malle, from Old French mail “mallet, hammer,” from Latin malleus “hammer”; (verb) Middle English mallen, from Old French maillier, derivative of noun

Example Sentences

The forwards took the fight to France with relish, thumping into contact, scuttling several scrums and making the driving maul a weapon against a heavier pack.

From BBC

Graham was caught offside following the restart, however, and Jack Crowley kicked to the corner, with Sheehan peeling off the resultant maul to score.

From BBC

“Stitches,” Lorren said, “I don’t know. Your new friend gets mauled by monsters that aren’t even in the game. How much do we really want him to join us?”

From Literature

A woman who was mauled by a dog at a Los Angeles city animal shelter has been awarded $5.4 million by a jury.

From Los Angeles Times

"You know Maro is on your team -- he's talking to you at mauls, scrums, nominating and talking around the pitch," Heyes said.

From Barron's

Related Words

• beat up
• bludgeon
• drub
• lacerate
• molest
• mug
• pummel
• rough up
• thrash
• trample