Definition of DRUBBING

Did You Know?

Sportswriters often use drub, but the term's history reveals that it wasn't always a sporting word. When drub was first used in English, it referred to a method of punishment that involved beating the soles of a culprit's feet with a stick or cudgel. The term was apparently brought to England in the 17th century by travelers who reported observing the punitive practice in Asia. Etymologists are uncertain of the ultimate origin of drub, but some have speculated that it may have evolved from the Arabic word daraba, meaning "to beat."

Examples of drub in a Sentence

a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene we drubbed our traditional football rivals so badly that it was basically no contest

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s no doubt that Republicans were drubbed in the House elections, and that the blue wave was powered by Trump’s extreme unpopularity. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Hillary Clinton’s press secretary on why beating Trump in 2020 is harder than you think," 14 Nov. 2018 Journal Report More in Investing in Funds & ETFs Funds that focus on small-capitalization stocks—which are less exposed to global turmoil, including trade disputes—continue to drub other U.S. categories. — William Power, WSJ, "U.S.-Stock Funds Rose 3.1% in August, Adding To Their Global Lead," 9 Sep. 2018 They were also drubbed 4-0 by group runners-up Denmark in Copenhagen. — SI.com, "2018 FIFA World Cup Team Preview: Analysing Poland's Chances at the Tournament," 5 June 2018 The last time the two countries met in a competitive match, Spain drubbed Russia 3 to 0. — Anatoly Kurmanaev, WSJ, "Moscow Celebrates After Surprise World Cup Win," 1 July 2018 Justin would drub his opponents by day and ask them to join his family for dinner that night. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, "Friends With MJ, Coached by Dad: World No. 1 Justin Thomas Is Ready to Fly," 5 June 2018 East, the Cook Inlet Conference champion and the runnerup to South in each of the last two state tournaments, emerged undefeated in pool play by drubbing West Valley 10-1. — Anchorage Daily News, "Defending champ South stumbles at state softball tourney," 1 June 2018 The move came hours after the Rangers were drubbed, 5-0, in Philadelphia and finished last in the Metropolitan Division at 34-39-9, their worst season since 2004. — Allan Kreda, New York Times, "With Alain Vigneault Out, Rangers Have Yet Another Position to Fill," 8 Apr. 2018 SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down a pair of Game 2s that saw the Cavaliers drub the Raptors and the Celtics stage a huge rally to beat the 76ers. — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, "LeBron James on J.R. Smith's golfing: 27 holes is 'too much' before a playoff game," 5 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drub.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.