maul
Americannoun
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a heavy hammer, as for driving stakes or wedges.
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Archaic. a heavy club or mace.
verb (used with object)
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to handle or use roughly.
The book was badly mauled by its borrowers.
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to injure by a rough beating, shoving, or the like; bruise.
to be mauled by an angry crowd.
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to split with a maul and wedge, as a wooden rail.
verb
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to handle clumsily; paw
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to batter or lacerate
noun
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a heavy two-handed hammer suitable for driving piles, wedges, etc
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rugby a loose scrum that forms around a player who is holding the ball and on his feet
Other Word Forms
- mauler noun
Etymology
Origin of maul
First recorded in 1200–50; (noun) Middle English malle, from Old French mail “mallet, hammer,” from Latin malleus “hammer”; (verb) Middle English mallen, from Old French maillier, derivative of noun
Explanation
Maul is both the name of a heavy hammer, and also a verb meaning beating and scratching. Tigers, lions, bears––animals with powerful paws and sharp claws, will maul their victims. The maul came to be used as a weapon in the late Middle Ages––if your opponent is wearing armor that a steel sword-blade can't penetrate, you can still inflict damage by mauling them with a hammer. You might not be able to stab your opponent, but at least you can maul them.
Vocabulary lists containing maul
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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.
Quins had been warned over repeated infringements by referee Luc Ramos and when Will Evans was sin-binned, Sale took full advantage as Cowan-Dickie rumbled over at the back of a line-out maul.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
The forwards took the fight to France with relish, thumping into contact, scuttling several scrums and making the driving maul a weapon against a heavier pack.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
Graham was caught offside following the restart, however, and Jack Crowley kicked to the corner, with Sheehan peeling off the resultant maul to score.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
Hooker Julien Marchand bulldozed over from a rolling maul and wing Ange Capuozzo finished a smart move in the corner as Toulouse romped into a 14-0 lead.
From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025
He could be found on fall afternoons with a rake in hand, or a splitting maul perhaps.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
