pummel
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have pummelledperfect
-
has pummeledperfect 3rd person singular
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have pummeledperfect
-
has pummelledperfect 3rd person singular
-
are pummelingprogressive
-
have been pummellingperfect progressive
-
have been pummelingperfect progressive
-
has been pummelingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are pummellingprogressive
-
pummellingparticiple
-
am pummelingprogressive 1st person singular
-
am pummellingprogressive 1st person singular
-
pummelingparticiple
-
pummelssingular 3rd person
-
is pummelingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
is pummellingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been pummellingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
-
had pummelledperfect
-
had pummeledperfect
-
were pummellingprogressive plural
-
were pummelingprogressive plural
-
had been pummelingperfect progressive
-
pummelledparticiple
-
was pummellingprogressive singular
-
pummeledparticiple
-
was pummelingprogressive singular
-
pummelledsimple
-
pummeledsimple
-
had been pummellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pummel
First recorded in 1540–50; alteration of pommel
Explanation
The best pummelers in the world are probably boxers, as to pummel means to repeatedly beat someone down, especially with fists. The main sense of pummel is physical, but you can use it figuratively when something is taking a beating. During a stock market crash, the economy is being pummeled. A heavy rain can pummel the earth. If you get three bad math grades in a row, it feels like numbers themselves are pummeling you. When many bad things happen at once, it feels like you're being pummeled by life.
Vocabulary lists containing pummel
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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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.
A war that seemed primed to pummel emerging economies reliant on Middle East imports hasn’t done the same to their stock markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
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
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
Shame and guilt pummel me, but my anger is real, too.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
