stabbing 1 of 2

adjective

as in scratching

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Dissimilar Words

stabbing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stab
as in jabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object stabbed the pesky leaf with the tines of the rake

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stabbing
Verb
Martinez Police Department A suspect accused of fatally stabbing a man outside a California residence during a burglary a day after being released from custody has been charged with murder, officials said. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026 Key Background Reiner was accused of fatally stabbing his parents at their home in December and was arrested that same day after fleeing. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Reiner, 32, is accused of fatally stabbing his father, the actor and director Rob Reiner, and his mother, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Los Angeles home late last year. — Hannah Knowles, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026 Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him on murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner and photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner. — Tracy Wright , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Nick Reiner has officially been indicted for the stabbing deaths of his parents Michele and Rob Reiner. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 Brennan was previously convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon after stabbing her 76-year-old mother to death with a butcher knife in Hollywood in 2014, according to a probable cause affidavit. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026 Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018. — Mike Toole, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stabbing
  1. piercing
  2. jabbing
  3. lacerating
  4. puncturing
  5. jagged
  6. picking
  7. sticking
Adjective
  • Still, the glimpses of freedom Clark offers are all the more piercing for their rarity.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • That’s partly the result of actions by Curtis, like taking customer’s phone calls and jabbing at a competitor on social media.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of jabbing
Adjective
  • But Sinner, with his lacerating groundstrokes and impeccable anticipation, has a returning edge over Zverev.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Mulligan delivers lacerating fragility, while Isaac turns Josh’s accommodating nature into a pathology, but both characters are littered with backstory details that Beef leaves hanging.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Definition of lacerating
Verb
  • The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to the company website, the glove is designed to disrupt sensory nerves without puncturing or burning the skin.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Adjective
  • But a little more than a minute after launch, the shuttle exploded, sending jagged plumes across the sky creating an image that would be seared into collective memory.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike oyster mushrooms, however, hen of the woods have a darker brown hue and the edges of the mushrooms are more scalloped and jagged than rounded.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of jagged
Verb
  • Antioch Full Gospel Baptist Church members who are facing off in court over control of the College Station congregation will meet Monday to determine the process for picking who gets to preach.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Austria has entered the 2027 Oscar race, picking the Sandra Hüller period drama Rose to represent the country in the best international feature category.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • Florida Attorney General James Ulthmeier once again is grandstanding and sticking his nose into a national issue.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Packers rookie defensive tackle Anthony Campbell has gone from an enormous longshot to make the roster to having a puncher’s chance of sticking.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sticking

Browse Nearby Words

stabbed in the back
stabbing
stabbing in the back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stabbing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stabbing

Nglish: Translation of stabbing for Spanish Speakers

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