1
as in pounded
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 bombed
to defeat by a large margin
we drubbed our traditional football rivals so badly that it was basically no contest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drubbed
After Wisconsin drubbed Michigan State, Fears walked into Izzo’s office and suggested a team meeting.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Mansfield races past Byron Nelson after slow start Mansfield only scored 5 points in the first quarter, but outscored Trophy Club Byron Nelson by 33 the rest of the way as the Tigers drubbed the Bobcats 61-34 in a Class 6A Division II bi-district game on Tuesday at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026
With all eight of those players available, the Heat previously drubbed the Hawks and Clippers and beat the Suns by six and the Bucks by three.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
The Americans drubbed Poulin’s team without her, perhaps taking some suspense out of the likely rematch between these teams in the gold-medal game next week.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The Broncos have a 9-4 series record in 13 all-time matchups against this NFC foe, and drubbed them 30-16 in their last meeting when outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper recorded his first two NFL sacks against Dallas QB Dak Prescott.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Mansfield races past Byron Nelson after slow start Mansfield only scored 5 points in the first quarter, but outscored Trophy Club Byron Nelson by 33 the rest of the way as the Tigers drubbed the Bobcats 61-34 in a Class 6A Division II bi-district game on Tuesday at Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026
With all eight of those players available, the Heat previously drubbed the Hawks and Clippers and beat the Suns by six and the Bucks by three.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
The Americans drubbed Poulin’s team without her, perhaps taking some suspense out of the likely rematch between these teams in the gold-medal game next week.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The Broncos have a 9-4 series record in 13 all-time matchups against this NFC foe, and drubbed them 30-16 in their last meeting when outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper recorded his first two NFL sacks against Dallas QB Dak Prescott.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drubbed
Verb
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Old timers can recall when clockwork storms pounded in the summer and drizzled in the winter.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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The fort stood high above the river, where fearsome artillery was able to turn back the Union gunboats that had pounded low-lying Fort Henry into submission.—
Bill Steiden,
Des Moines Register,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearly three weeks earlier, the Ecuadoran military bombed Miguel's farm in a joint military operation with the United States.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
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Its military has bombed 10,000 targets, but the first thousand were likely more valuable than the tenth.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
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Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ten years ago, AlphaGo trounced human competitors—and its legacy is still present in today’s most advanced bots.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
30 Mar. 2026
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Rachel handily trounced Horan with a quiz all about Niall Horan.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump has repeatedly lashed out at allies for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz; the UK is hosting talks with dozens of nations Thursday aimed at forming a coalition focused on that goal.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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After Cooke lashed out verbally, Wilson intervened and later comforted Batula in a conversation picked up by their microphones.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mary was the one who tried too hard at piano practice and still thumped the piano, the one who was too earnest.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
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Admittedly this isn’t 1985, but the Red Storm absolutely thumped UConn, a 2-seed, to win the title, and have won their last six.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, the Cougars thrashed 15th-seeded Idaho 78-47.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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Rice won the Big Ten tournament’s most outstanding player award after UCLA thrashed Iowa by 51 points in the championship.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbed. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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