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.
How to Train Your Dragon scored a solid lead in its second week at the box office, taking in $37 million domestically and $90.5 million globally and trouncing its competition. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 22 June 2025 For 2025, the 1,064-horsepower ZR1 began trouncing European competition, backed by a thundering Detroit V-8 soundtrack. Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 19 June 2025 Wayne trounced his competition with punishing punchlines and steely wordplay. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 6 June 2025 Hypothetical polls showed Sununu trouncing Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.). Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Apr. 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 Jul. 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
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