as in punch
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
one well aimed slug on the head knocked him out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in snail
a lazy person
he's always a slug in the morning, which is why he prefers to sleep late
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to punch
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
she got so angry that she slugged the back of the chair and knocked it over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slug
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Water-jet disruption: To neutralize the device, experts use a disruptor to fire a high-velocity slug of water at the pipe.
—Divya Dubey, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Rodriguez doesn’t have a home run yet this season after slugging seven of them a year ago.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slug
Noun
The Padres paired their burgeoning slug with small-ball sensibilities in a 7-2 win that extended their win streak to five games and upped their total to 10.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Water-jet disruption: To neutralize the device, experts use a disruptor to fire a high-velocity slug of water at the pipe.
—Divya Dubey, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
His career essentially bestrides the slow-to-grow Before Times and the apparent soccer paradise of today, which was fortified by remarkable facilities, boosted by an ideal central location and forged by an eagerly welcoming host city that slugged above its weight to make this happen.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Rodriguez doesn’t have a home run yet this season after slugging seven of them a year ago.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slug
Verb
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The Pistons punched back with a 20-5 run as the Magic at one point missed 13 straight shots from the floor.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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Brown again pulls his hands away from the cops before Maden starts punching him.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And Silva hit a home run, her third, after attempting a bunt on the previous pitch.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Seattle Seahawks have already hit three of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price on Thursday night in Round 1 and TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal in the second and third rounds on Friday.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Draftniks slap grades on the quality of the picks based on their perceptions of where the player’s talent meets positional need.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Marcus Smart grabbed the ball and fired a two-handed pass to James, who bobbled it and slapped it to Luke Kennard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Met Gala lands smack in the middle of that window, on Monday, May 4 — its traditional first-Monday-in-May slot.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At that house, no one answered a Statesman reporter’s knocks on Monday, but Davidson told the Statesman that his family owns the whole lot.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
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Alex Hebda, of Wheatfield, and Chris Mercaldo, of Valparaiso, were knocking the balls around the pool table.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ruling was slammed by Democrats across the nation and by the three more liberal justices on the high court, who rejected the conservative majority’s characterization that its decision upheld the Voting Rights Act rather than gutted it.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Washington — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is putting tracking devices in airport vehicles after an Air Canada Express regional jet landing at LaGuardia Airport last month slammed into a fire truck on the runway, killing the plane’s two pilots.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But the loudness and frequency of cacerolazos—protests where people bang pots—across the island attest to the rage.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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Jurors then heard sounds of banging and choking and Athena screaming and crying, the Star-Telegram reports.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The updraft knifed through the building, whose inhabitants were already suffering without heat or power for much of the winter as Russia pounded Ukraine’s energy system.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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There’s a sense of surrender in the way this tune eroticizes total passivity, giving up control, just letting your feelings pound you to a bloody pulp.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slug. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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