Definition

1. Noun:

   • A heavy, long-handled hammer, typically with a wooden head, used for driving stakes, wedges, or for splitting wood.

2. Verb:

   • To injure or wound someone or something severely by beating, tearing, or crushing.
   • To handle or treat something in a rough, clumsy, or damaging way.
   • To split wood using a maul and wedges.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:

  • The lumberjack used a maul to drive the wedge into the log.
  • A splitting maul is an essential tool for processing firewood.

• Verb (to injure or wound):

  • The bear mauled the hiker, causing serious injuries.
  • The critic mauled the author's new novel in the newspaper review.

• Verb (to handle roughly):

  • The children mauled the birthday cake before anyone could take a picture.
  • He tends to maul the ball when he gets nervous on the golf course.

• Verb (to split wood):

  • We spent the afternoon mauling logs for the winter.

Advanced Usage

• "to be mauled by": To be severely criticized or attacked, often in a public context.

  • The government's new policy was mauled by the opposition in parliament.

• "mauling" (noun): The act of injuring by rough treatment or a severe beating; a harsh criticism.

  • The team suffered a 5-0 mauling in last night's match.
  • The film received a mauling from most reviewers.

Variants and Related Words

• Mauler (noun): A person or thing that mauls.
  • He was known as a fierce mauler on the rugby field.

Synonyms

• Verb (to injure): Mangle, mutilate, savage, claw, lacerate.
• Verb (to handle roughly): Manhandle, paw, mishandle, mangle.
• Verb (to criticize): Savage, lambaste, tear apart, pan.
• Noun (tool): Sledgehammer, beetle, mallet.

Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

• "Like a bear with a sore head": (While not containing 'maul', this idiom describes someone who is very bad-tempered and likely to 'maul' others verbally.)
  • Stay away from the boss today; he's like a bear with a sore head.

Noun

1. a heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges

Verb

1. injure badly by beating
2. split (wood) with a maul and wedges