pummel

American

[puhm-uhl] / ˈpʌm əl /

verb (used with object)

pummeled, pummeling, pummelled, pummelling

to beat or thrash with or as if with the fists.

pummel British

/ ˈpʌməl /

verb

Also (less commonly): pommel. (tr) to strike repeatedly with or as if with the fists

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unpummeled adjective
unpummelled adjective

Etymology

Origin of pummel

First recorded in 1540–50; alteration of pommel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tornadoes, thunderstorms and blizzard conditions are forecast to pummel parts of the eastern US.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

This week, investors became very worried that rapidly-advancing AI capabilities offered by companies like Anthropic are going to pummel any company with services that include enterprise software.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026

Instead, Ukrainians are showing the resilience and make-do attitude that have frustrated Moscow’s efforts to pummel them into submission.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

An unusually brutal winter storm is set to pummel more than 160 million Americans from Friday, as a stretched "polar vortex" sends a devastating blast of Arctic air, bringing heavy snows and freezing rains.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Gusts of air and seawater pummel the rocky shore.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023