trounced; trouncing

transitive verb

: to thrash or punish severely
especially : to defeat decisively

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.
Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl champion, is searching for his first collegiate win in his first true road game after being trounced by TCU in Chapel Hill on Monday night. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2025 Nix and company managed to sneak into the playoffs, but they were trounced by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 The Jayhawks made the inaugural game at their shiny new home a memorable occasion by trouncing the Fresno State Bulldogs 31-7 Here are photos from the first game at the mostly all-new stadium. Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025 Technology stocks got trounced in the last week as investors sold their winners and bought previous laggards. Moneyshow, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 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 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

trounce

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

More from Merriam-Webster on trounce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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