clobber

1 of 2

verb

clob·​ber ˈklä-bər 

clobbered; clobbering ˈklä-b(ə-)riŋ 

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

clobber

2 of 2

noun

British slang

: clothes sense 1

Synonyms of clobber

Verb

• knock
• hit
• slap
• smack
• punch
• slam
• bang
• whack
• clap
• strike
• clip
• pound
• swipe
• bat

Noun

• clothes
• clothing
• attire
• dress
• wear
• garments
• apparel

Examples of clobber in a Sentence

Verb

If you say anything I'll clobber you.

We clobbered them in our last game.

Businesses are being clobbered by the bad economy.

Noun

Just dump your clobber anywhere.

still wearing the same clobber he wore as an undergrad at Cambridge

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Months after the then-American Football League team had been clobbered by Green Bay 35-10 in the first Super Bowl in 1967, they were left simmering by the postgame words of Packers coach Vince Lombardi. — Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026

Clips of the straight, white Clark being clobbered by Black opponents, in a league where 25% to 35% of players are publicly LGBTQ+, became a staple of rightwing social media. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 22 Aug. 2026

Noun

Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and boots and his black-tie clobber was in a car miles away in Marseilles. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 25 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for clobber

• jobber
• robber
• micawber

Kids Definition

clobber

verb

clob·​ber

ˈkläb-ər

1

: to hit with force

2

: to defeat by a wide margin