maul

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

maul, n. [See Mall a hammer.].

 A heavy wooden hammer or beetle.  [1913 Webster]

maul, v. t. 

•  To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner.  [1913 Webster]

  "Meek modern faith to murder, hack, and maul."  [1913 Webster]
•  To injure greatly; to do much harm to.  [1913 Webster]

  "It mauls not only the person misrepreseted, but him also to whom he is misrepresented."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

maul, v. & n.
--v.tr.
1 beat and bruise.
2 handle roughly or carelessly.
3 damage by criticism.
--n.
1 Rugby Football a loose scrum with the ball off the ground.
2 a brawl.
3 a special heavy hammer, commonly of wood, esp. for driving piles.

Derivative

mauler n.

Etymology

ME f. OF mail f. L malleus hammer

THESAURUS

maul

abrade, abuse, assault, attack, bang, barbarize, bark, bash, baste, batter, beat, blemish, bloody, break, broil, bruise, brutalize, buffet, bung, bung up, burn, butcher, carry on, chafe, check, chip, claw, contuse, crack, craze, cut, destroy, do violence to, do wrong by, do wrong to, dogfight, donnybrook, drub, flagellate, flail, flap, fracas, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gash, go on, hammer, hurt, ill-treat, ill-use, incise, injure, knock, knock about, lacerate, lambaste, larrup, lash, lay waste, loot, maim, make mincemeat of, maltreat, mangle, manhandle, melee, mishandle, mistreat, molest, mug, mutilate, outrage, paste, patter, pelt, pierce, pillage, pommel, pound, pulverize, pummel, puncture, rage, ramp, rampage, rant, rap, rape, rave, rend, riot, rip, roar, rough, rough up, row, ruction, ruin, run, rupture, sack, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, set-to, skin, slash, slaughter, sledgehammer, slit, sow chaos, spank, sprain, stab, stick, storm, strain, tear, tear around, terrorize, thrash, thresh, thump, traumatize, vandalize, violate, wallop, whip, wound, wreck, wrench

ROGET THESAURUS

maul

Badness

VB be hurtful, cause evil, produce evil, inflict evil, work evil, do evil, damnify, endamage, hurt, harm, injure, pain, wrong, aggrieve, oppress, persecute, trample upon, tread upon, bear hard upon, put upon, overburden, weigh down, weigh heavy on, victimize, run down, molest, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, ill-treat, buffet, bruise, scratch, maul, smite, do violence, do harm, do a mischief, stab, pierce, outrage, do mischief, make mischief, bring into trouble, destroy.

Impulse

N impulse, sudden thought, impromptu, improvisation, inspiration, flash, spurt, improvisatore, creature of impulse, extemporaneous, impulsive, indeliberate, snap, improvised, improvisate, improvisatory, unpremeditated, unmeditated, improvise, unprompted, unguided, natural, unguarded, spontaneous, instinctive, extempore, extemporaneously, offhand, impromptu, a limproviste, improviso, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, impulse, impulsion, impetus, momentum, push, pulsion, thrust, shove, jog, jolt, brunt, booming, boost, throw, explosion, propulsion, percussion, concussion, collision, occursion, clash, encounter, cannon, carambole, appulse, shock, crash, bump, impact, elan, charge, beating, blow, dint, stroke, knock, tap, rap, slap, smack, pat, dab, fillip, slam, bang, hit, whack, thwack, cuff, squash, dowse, swap, whap, punch, thump, pelt, kick, punce, calcitration, ruade, arietation, cut, thrust, lunge, yerk, carom, carrom, clip, jab, plug, sidewinder, sidewipe, sideswipe, hammer, sledge hammer, mall, maul, mallet, flail, ram, rammer, battering ram, monkey, pile-driving engine, punch, bat, cant hook, cudgel, ax, dynamics, seismometer, accelerometer, earthquake detector, impelling, impulsive, impellent, booming, dynamic, dynamical, impelled, a hit, a very palpable hit.