lambaste
verb
-ˈbast
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The origins of lambaste (which can also be spelled lambast) are somewhat uncertain, but the word was most likely formed by combining the verbs lam and baste, both of which mean “to beat severely.” (This baste is unrelated to either the sewing or cooking one.) Although lambaste started out in the 1600s meaning “to assault violently,” English speakers were by the 1800s applying it in cases involving harsh attacks made with words rather than fists. This new sense clearly struck a chord; after fighting its way into the lexicon, lambaste has held fast ever since.
Synonyms
Examples of lambaste in a Sentence
Daisy Dunn, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 July 2024
See how your school rates Another man who identified himself as Frederickson-Ceccarelli's oldest brother lambasted prosecutors for requesting anything but having Christman be held without bond.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 22 July 2024
The other, a report from American Compass, a think tank founded in 2020 by Oren Cass, a former campaign aide to Mitt Romney, of all people, also lambastes the effects of globalization and adds an excessive focus on finance and financial markets to the list of modern capitalism’s ailments.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
The former president also lambasted President Biden’s efforts to find cancer cures through the multibillion-dollar Cancer Moonshot project and railed that the Democrat has made no progress on Alzheimer’s disease.
—Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lambaste 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lambaste.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lambaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lambaste. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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lambaste
verb
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