1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene
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2
as in to overcome
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 Bears upset the Vikings in Minnesota before the San Francisco 49ers drubbed them at Candlestick Park.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The win meant something to Minnesota after it was drubbed by the Knicks on national television a month prior at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for drub
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The win meant something to Minnesota after it was drubbed by the Knicks on national television a month prior at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for drub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drub
Verb
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Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
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Spit Heathcliff spends a lot of time straight-up licking Cathy’s face in this movie.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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France’s Eric Perrot overcame a wobble on the final shoot and a late surge from Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen to win a sensational first men’s relay gold medal for his country today.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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While most fungal attempts at infection fail, a small number do succeed thanks to the constant evolutionary pressure on pathogens to overcome host plant defenses.—
Lily Peck,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Liam Gagne recorded 24 saves and Billerica rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Milton 3-2 in the first round of the Irish American Shootout.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
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Skincare delivered €551 million in sales and represented 11% of the group’s full-year revenue, beating market expectations.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They were instead captured and publicly whipped.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
19 Feb. 2026
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Those who observe Lent will spend the next several Fridays whipping out fish recipes or attending a fish fry and abstaining from eating meat.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite the defeat, the president digs in, announcing a new 15 percent global tariff to replace the measures struck down by the court, and lashed out at the justices who struck it down.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Blizzard conditions will lash parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, where nearly 100 million people can expect moderate-to-extreme impacts.—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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ZaKiyah Johnson scored 16 points, Mikaylah Williams added 12 and LSU bounced back from a midweek loss to rout Auburn.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Covenant Classical routs Weatherford Christian Fort Worth Covenant Classical got 17 points from Tate Mitchell to lead the Cavaliers to a 84-32 victory against Weatherford Christian in a TAPPS 1-3A game on Friday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gabriel Basso headlines the pulse-pounding series.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
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The journey winds through sweeping turns before plunging into a dramatic 910-degree double helix that spirals into a mine shaft, delivering both heart-pounding excitement and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tuesday, when dispatchers received a call that multiple skiers had been buried.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
22 Feb. 2026
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In Monkayo, a gold-mining town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, the remains of three people were recovered after their house was buried late Thursday by a landslide, Dayanghirang and other officials said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drub. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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