Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

trounce

verb
Save Word
\ ˈtrau̇n(t)s How to pronounce trounce (audio) \
trounced; trouncing

Definition of trounce

transitive verb

: to thrash or punish severely especially : to defeat decisively
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about trounce

Keep scrolling for more

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 Of course, this is also a variation on a theme The Good Wife tackled, too, which is that money and power often trounce a person’s values. — Chancellor Agard, EW.com, "The Good Fight recap: The gang goes wild after being satirized by a play," 7 May 2020 If 2019 was a bad year for Tony Tan Caktiong, the Philippine tycoon who built a fast-food empire that trounced McDonald’s in his home market, 2020 is shaping out to be worse for his company’s stock. — Ian C Sayson, Bloomberg.com, "Fried Chicken King of Asia Loses $2.9 Billion on U.S. Gamble," 29 Apr. 2020 In early February, the Grizzlies powered into the American Airlines Center, ignored chaos surrounding potential trade-deadline moves for both teams, and trounced the Mavericks, 121-107. — Callie Caplan, Dallas News, "Led by another dominant night from Kristaps Porzingis, Mavs avenge an ugly February loss with blowout of Grizzlies," 7 Mar. 2020 Sanders, who trounced Hillary Clinton in Colorado's 2016 caucuses, is relying on his strong grass-roots following. — Michael Finnegan, Anchorage Daily News, "Bloomberg drops $124 million in Super Tuesday states. Rivals go on the attack," 18 Feb. 2020 Part of the reason Biden has remained so durable despite cringe-inducing moments is that Democrats, more than anything, want someone who can trounce Trump next year. — Time Staff, Time, "Booker Rises, Biden Stays Afloat and Nobody Wants to Dwell on Impeachment. 10 Takeaways From the November Debate," 21 Nov. 2019 Buttar has raised nearly $500,000, more than many of the election opponents Pelosi has trounced over the years. — Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus forces Nancy Pelosi’s SF election foe to take a different path," 2 Apr. 2020 That's the state of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh's program after the Wolverines were trounced by Ohio State, 56-27, on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. — Chris Thomas, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football wilts against Ohio State, 56-27: Here's how Wolverines lost the big one," 30 Nov. 2019 Mayfield threw two interceptions — one by Sherman in the first quarter — as the Browns were trounced 31-3 by the unbeaten 49ers. — Tom Withers, The Denver Post, "Richard Sherman plans to apologize to Baker Mayfield over handshake flap," 9 Oct. 2019

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

See More

First Known Use of trounce

1868, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for trounce

origin unknown

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about trounce

Time Traveler for trounce

Time Traveler

The first known use of trounce was in 1868

See more words from the same year

Statistics for trounce

Last Updated

17 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Trounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trounce. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for trounce

trounce

verb
How to pronounce trounce (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of trounce

: to defeat (someone or something) easily and thoroughly

See the full definition for trounce in the English Language Learners Dictionary

trounce

verb
\ ˈtrau̇ns How to pronounce trounce (audio) \
trounced; trouncing

Kids Definition of trounce

1 : to beat severely : flog
2 : to defeat thoroughly

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on trounce

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for trounce

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with trounce

Spanish Central: Translation of trounce

Nglish: Translation of trounce for Spanish Speakers

Comments on trounce

What made you want to look up trounce? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

assail

Listen to the pronunciation of assail

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2020 Words of the Day Quiz

  • a blooming wisteria tree
  • Which is a synonym of exiguous?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games