1
as in pounded
to strike repeatedly
a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 drubbed
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
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
-
The Gators pounded the Razorbacks in the paint, outscored them from long range and clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The rain that pounded the streets of Newtown on Thursday, February 26 didn’t stop her and husband Prince William from interacting with the Welsh for twenty-five minutes, according to the BBC.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the United Nations wrote on X that major cities in Afghanistan were reportedly bombed by the Pakistani military on Friday, marking a new escalation and raising fears for civilians already struggling under the harsh rule of the Taliban authorities.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Since then residents of Cincinnati's sister city in Ukraine have been bombed, killed and watched parts of their city turn to rubble.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Legend has it that when Buddha was painting the sky, blue pigment dripped onto the floor and his inquisitive chow chow licked the puddle, coloring the dog’s tongue permanently.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The only reason Cornyn avoided being trounced was money, money and more money.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In November, Rose, who became the District 5 commissioner in a special election following the arrest of her predecessor Regina Hill, trounced the former commissioner in her bid to retake the seat.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Maza drew in Hamburg players before flicking the ball on for Kofane, who lashed it into the top-left corner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The puck went to Clarke, who adjusted his angle and whipped a shot through a Corey Perry screen.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
So everyone whipped out their phones at the table, which is a very rude thing to do, but in an emergency—in a Hollywood emergency—it was allowed.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The long-running music/movement/fantasy/comedy/mime/percussion performance spectacle took a hit last year when its standing companies in New York, Boston and Chicago all thumped their last drum full of blue paint.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Maika Sivo scored four tries as the Leeds Rhinos thumped Hull KR 56-8 in the first match at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday featuring two English clubs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Thursday before that, they were thrashed 4-0 at Atletico Madrid in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg — a defeat that prompted significant self-criticism and reflection on their style of play.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Patriots leaned on Los Angeles offensively and thrashed them on defense, circling Justin Herbert in the first half before swarming him for four sacks in the second.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbed. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
