trounced; trouncing
Synonyms of trouncenext

transitive verb

: to thrash or punish severely
especially : to defeat decisively
trounced the rival team

Examples of trounce in a Sentence

our candidate trounced her opponent in the election, winning with 76% of the vote
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.
The endorsements came after first quarter fundraising numbers show Goldman trouncing challenger Brad Lander in cash on hand, raking in more than twice as much money. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026 That propelled Cox to the general election, where he was trounced by Newsom. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026 Ten years ago, AlphaGo trounced human competitors—and its legacy is still present in today’s most advanced bots. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2026 Rachel handily trounced Horan with a quiz all about Niall Horan. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trounce

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trounce was in 1868

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trounce. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

trounce

verb
trounced; trouncing
: to thrash or punish severely
especially : to defeat thoroughly

More from Merriam-Webster on trounce

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster