lambaste
verb
-ˈbast
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
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025
Star sports commentator Pat McAfee loudly lambasted the Canadian fans for booing and the country as a whole in response during the Peacock broadcast.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Trump lambasted the firm for employing former special counsel Robert Mueller—who led the special investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s ties with Russia.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
Meloni attempted to increase her control over Italy’s judiciary, lambasting the courts as political for hobbling her ability to offshore refugees to Albania.
—Nathalie Tocci, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lambaste
Cite this Entry
“Lambaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lambaste. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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lambaste
verb
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