1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to trounce
to defeat by a large margin
we drubbed our traditional football rivals so badly that it was basically no contest
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drub
The Democrats’ power structure is dominated by lawmakers from the coasts — both at the leadership and committee level — and Craig is the only one of the three candidates to represent the Heartland, where Democrats were drubbed in this year’s presidential contest.
—
Mike Lillis, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Denver dominated on the ground, dominated on defense and dominated in Payton’s return to New Orleans, drubbing the Saints 33-10 in primetime.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2024
Fox News also continues drubbing CNN in the ratings.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
The current Sockers are in first place, of course, and favored to drub the Dallas Sidekicks in the 7:05 p.m match at Pechanga Arena.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drub
Mike Lillis, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Denver dominated on the ground, dominated on defense and dominated in Payton’s return to New Orleans, drubbing the Saints 33-10 in primetime.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2024
Fox News also continues drubbing CNN in the ratings.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
The current Sockers are in first place, of course, and favored to drub the Dallas Sidekicks in the 7:05 p.m match at Pechanga Arena.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drub
Verb
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Collins is no doubt licking his chops studying tape of another Patriots rookie, left guard Jared Wilson, who allowed two sacks last weekend.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Soon, orange-red flames began to lick the wall and the roof’s open eaves.—
Ingfei Chen,
New Yorker,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gold’s bull run this year has trounced even the artificial intelligence trade that drove stocks to all-time highs.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
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But Cuomo is running in this race as an independent after Mamdani, who turned 34 last weekend, trounced him during the Democratic Party primary.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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During their time together, Wuornos alleged that Mallory raped, beat and sodomized her, according to her testimony, and per the Associated Press.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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After an extra-inning marathon that nearly broke MLB’s record for the longest World Series game, the Toronto Blue Jays rebounded Tuesday night to beat the defending champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-2.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, poor initial AI experiences create resistance that’s difficult to overcome.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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The researchers overcame this by using molecular beam epitaxy, a precise technique for growing ultra-thin crystal layers.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Picking sweet Julie mangoes from the big tree in the front yard of my childhood home; going to the beach where my late brother tried (and failed) to teach me to swim; visiting relatives during the summer in the very areas that were now being lashed by rain and wind.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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LogoPowered byScale logo Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, is slowly cutting through the Caribbean, soaking and lashing those in its path with torrential rain and catastrophic winds.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The photo of Chastain whipping off her jersey, shouting in triumph, her sinewy arms flexed, was immediately historic.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Oct. 2025
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Leafs forward Dakota Joshua weaved through Buffalo’s defensive zone coverage without much resistance and then whipped an off-balance shot toward the net.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And so the Jays did, piling up one quality at-bat after another, grinding down Snell, pounding the Dodgers’ suspect bullpen.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Its rain has already been pounding parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic for several days, flooding roadways and triggering landslides.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That largely reflects the sentiments of most — though not all — of a dozen people who came to the football stadium to see the Tigers rout the Yankton Bucks.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
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Israeli military officials have estimated that there are 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters remaining in the city and its surrounding area, and that the operation to rout them out could take months.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drub. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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