lambaste

verb

lam·baste (ˌ)lam-ˈbāst

-ˈbast

ˈlam-ˌbāst,

-ˌbast

variants or lambast

lambasted; lambasting; lambastes or lambasts

Synonyms of lambaste next

transitive verb

: to assault violently : beat, whip

: to attack verbally : censure

critics lambasted his performance

Did you know?

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.

Examples of lambaste in a Sentence

The coach lambasted the team for its poor play. They wrote several letters lambasting the new law.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

In October, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lambasted their use in fast-food restaurants and called for a return to using beef tallow. —

Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 17 Jan. 2025 Back in 2019, Trump went on to lambaste California and Newsom for continually reaching out to Washington for aid to combat the fires. —

USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025 President-elect Trump’s team lambasted the judge in his New York criminal case for rejecting his demand the case be thrown out following his election victory and setting a sentencing date for next week. —

Ella Lee, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025 In the various November postmortems, experts lambasted the Democratic Party for failing to listen to working-class and rural people. —

Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for lambaste