trounce

verb

ˈtrau̇n(t)s 

trounced; trouncing

transitive verb

: to thrash or punish severely

especially : to defeat decisively

trounced the rival team

Synonyms of trounce

• overcome
• bury
• beat
• annihilate
• rout
• whip
• throw
• upset
• bomb
• smother
• flatten
• thrash
• clobber
• drub
• master
• overwhelm
• surpass
• blow away
• take
• trim

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

In the last year, Walmart shares have risen 27%, double the S&P 500’s growth and trouncing Amazon’s 1% increase. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

The Steelers were trounced 30-6 by the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card game on Monday night at Acrisure Field. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Riggs won, but was later trounced in a rematch with Billie Jean King. —Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026

Eritrea had trounced Zanzibar to reach the semi-finals of the CECAFA Under-20 Championship — consisting of national teams from east and central African nations — when, amid the celebrations and platitudes from government officials back home, the players made their move. —Simon Hughes, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trounce

• bounce
• flounce
• ounce
• pounce
• announce
• denounce
• pronounce
• renounce

Kids Definition

trounce

verb

ˈtrau̇n(t)s 

trounced; trouncing

: to thrash or punish severely

especially : to defeat thoroughly