as in thrashing
Related Words
Relevance
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
he clobbered the ball, sending it in a high arc toward the back wall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
they clobbered the opposing team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of clobbering
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
No doubt there were many reasons the Chiefs woke up the echoes and restored a certain sense of order on Sunday with a 37-20 clobbering of visiting Baltimore, a presumptive rival for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Every aspect of that towel was on display in a Big Ten showdown-turned-clobbering.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
That means the Broncos will win two of three games against the 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks before clobbering the Cardinals.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
The Chicago White Sox first baseman had a heck of a return to the area on Monday, clobbering a grand slam as part of an evening that included two hits and six RBIs.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The storied eatery amassed a whopping 1,512 votes in round two, clobbering Northside Social.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 23 Mar. 2026
Police arrested one of four snowball bandits caught on camera clobbering the cops with snow.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Under manager Arrigo Sacchi, a former shoe salesman, AC Milan in 1987-88 won its first Serie A title in nine years and the following year won the European Cup, clobbering Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the final.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That sunset that finally shone over Chicago when the winter storm had finally subsided after clobbering the area this weekend is hardly a distant memory, but already, the area is preparing for another round of snow in the afternoon.
—Darius Johnson, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
The reason for that suggestion is because of the long history of good individual stocks clobbering the S & P 500 .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
Three days after pummeling UCLA, 48-29, on the glass (including 20-5 on offensive boards), the Terps were on the receiving end of a clobbering as USC dominated, 35-24.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
No doubt there were many reasons the Chiefs woke up the echoes and restored a certain sense of order on Sunday with a 37-20 clobbering of visiting Baltimore, a presumptive rival for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Every aspect of that towel was on display in a Big Ten showdown-turned-clobbering.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
Hernandez was at the center of it all Friday, clobbering three homers with nine RBIs.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
That means the Broncos will win two of three games against the 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks before clobbering the Cardinals.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
The Chicago White Sox first baseman had a heck of a return to the area on Monday, clobbering a grand slam as part of an evening that included two hits and six RBIs.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The storied eatery amassed a whopping 1,512 votes in round two, clobbering Northside Social.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 23 Mar. 2026
Police arrested one of four snowball bandits caught on camera clobbering the cops with snow.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Under manager Arrigo Sacchi, a former shoe salesman, AC Milan in 1987-88 won its first Serie A title in nine years and the following year won the European Cup, clobbering Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the final.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That sunset that finally shone over Chicago when the winter storm had finally subsided after clobbering the area this weekend is hardly a distant memory, but already, the area is preparing for another round of snow in the afternoon.
—Darius Johnson, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
The reason for that suggestion is because of the long history of good individual stocks clobbering the S & P 500 .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clobbering
Noun
-
Thursday’s 118-91 thrashing, though, invited more than a Game 7.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The Fever, perhaps more terribly potent with each passing day, is a two-hour spiral into the thrashing, slowly awakening soul of a Good Middle-Class Liberal.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
-
As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The Seahawks won those shootouts, but that was mostly due to their special teams whipping the Rams and their offense going off, especially in the Super Bowl qualifier.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
-
Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Once the roads open and the Miura’s tachometer sweeps past 4,000 rpm, your ears are nourished by a cultured snarl that builds to a hammering roar.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
18 May 2026
-
Wrexham were fourth bottom of the fledgling table after the third of those three losses, a 3-1 hammering by Queens Park Rangers.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The play started with Muncy hitting a ground ball up the first-base line.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
-
London’s Christian Olivares, a USC pledge, extended the lead in the third inning, hitting a two-run home run to left field.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
-
That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Whether the bashing has any immediate political implications for the lawmakers remains to be seen.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
But more recently, Japan-bashing has become the core of a strident Chinese nationalism, with disastrous consequences.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clobbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clobbering. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
