clobber

1 of 2

noun

clob·​ber ˈklä-bər How to pronounce clobber (audio)
British slang

clobber

2 of 2

verb

clobbered; clobbering ˈklä-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce clobber (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to pound mercilessly
also : to hit with force
clobber a home run
2
a
: to defeat overwhelmingly
b
: to have a strongly negative impact on
businesses clobbered by the recession
c
: to criticize harshly

Examples of clobber in a Sentence

Noun Just dump your clobber anywhere. still wearing the same clobber he wore as an undergrad at Cambridge Verb If you say anything I'll clobber you. We clobbered them in our last game. Businesses are being clobbered by the bad economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Neat, said engineers at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Irvine, who’ve invented a clever kind of material based on the mantis shrimp’s clobber-sticks. Matt Simon, Wired, 22 Feb. 2021 The Reds were first togged out by New Balance for the 2015/16 season, following the American sportswear company's takeover of Warrior Sports (remember them?) and have produced Liverpool's clobber for the last five seasons. SI.com, 29 Sep. 2019 Because this amount was not indexed to inflation, the AMT clobbers more people each year. Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Dec. 2017
Verb
The third installment, which premiered in theaters in March of this year, clobbered the box office with its $58 million debut weekend, a record-setting sum for the boxing franchise. Michaela Zee, Variety, 19 Nov. 2023 After clobbering Williams on back-to-back plays for sacks that forced a field goal and making a team-high seven tackles, Latu shared a hug with his mother, Kerry. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023 Santander robbed a home run in right field in the first inning and clobbered a two-run blast in the third to propel the Orioles to a 3-2 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2023 Many auto parts suppliers are still trying to recover from long shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic and would be clobbered by another disruption, analysts say. Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 Many auto-parts suppliers are still wounded from long shutdowns during the covid pandemic, and would be clobbered by another disruption, Conroy said. Jeanne Whalen, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2023 Gurriel clobbered the hung changeup 403 feet to left field. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2023 Candidate Jimmy Carter used this informal indicator to clobber President Jerry Ford in his 1976 presidential campaign, only to have candidate Ronald Reagan clobber him in a 1980 presidential debate with a misery index that, Reagan said, had risen during Carter’s presidency from 12.5 to 20. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2023 Lorenz practically invented the influencer beat, consistently clobbering competitors by chronicling the movement’s innovators and wannabes. WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clobber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clobber was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near clobber

Cite this Entry

“Clobber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clobber. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

clobber

verb
clob·​ber
ˈkläb-ər
1
: to hit with force
2
: to defeat by a wide margin

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