as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a terrible drubbing in last night's basketball game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in whipping
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 drubbing
Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
Despite the Lakers coming off a drubbing of their own on Monday night in Sacramento, the Hawks (20-22) looked like the team without the juice.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 14 Jan. 2026
There was no sugarcoating how disappointed Brentwood players and coaches felt last week in suffering a 16-point drubbing by Crossroads in their Gold Coast League opener.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Just now 3 min The Dallas Stars will arrive at Capital One Arena mired in a six-game skid and fresh off a 6-3 drubbing from the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
—Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
At times, like during the 70-20 drubbing of the Denver Broncos in 2023, the Tagovaila-McDaniel tandem looked unstoppable as the coach complied a record of 20-14 during his first two seasons as the former Alabama standout even made his only Pro Bowl.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins opened the season with a 33-8 drubbing by Indianapolis and ended it with another blowout loss to New England.
—Alanis Thames, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins opened the season with a 33-8 drubbing by the Indianapolis Colts and ended it with another blowout loss to the Patriots.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Moore is coming off one of his best performances of the year, scoring five total touchdowns in a drubbing of a hapless James Madison team.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
And because only days before the February 2021 surgery Mahomes had scrambled a stupefying 497 yards behind the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball or being sacked in a 31-9 drubbing by Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
Despite the Lakers coming off a drubbing of their own on Monday night in Sacramento, the Hawks (20-22) looked like the team without the juice.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 14 Jan. 2026
There was no sugarcoating how disappointed Brentwood players and coaches felt last week in suffering a 16-point drubbing by Crossroads in their Gold Coast League opener.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Just now 3 min The Dallas Stars will arrive at Capital One Arena mired in a six-game skid and fresh off a 6-3 drubbing from the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
—Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
At times, like during the 70-20 drubbing of the Denver Broncos in 2023, the Tagovaila-McDaniel tandem looked unstoppable as the coach complied a record of 20-14 during his first two seasons as the former Alabama standout even made his only Pro Bowl.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins opened the season with a 33-8 drubbing by Indianapolis and ended it with another blowout loss to New England.
—Alanis Thames, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
The Dolphins opened the season with a 33-8 drubbing by the Indianapolis Colts and ended it with another blowout loss to the Patriots.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Moore is coming off one of his best performances of the year, scoring five total touchdowns in a drubbing of a hapless James Madison team.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
The mighty Mariners, who mashed five solo home runs at raucous T-Mobile Park, clinched their title by drubbing Major League Baseball’s doormat, aka the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drubbing
Noun
-
Paramount has refused to accept defeat, launching a hostile takeover to attempt to claim its rival — a pursuit that Warner board members are fighting.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The result was a catastrophic defeat for the Confederacy.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Archival footage illustrates, in pulse-pounding and nerve-rattling fashion, just how widespread calls for Rushdie’s murder were.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
-
By Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PALM BEACH GARDENS — The pop of a catcher’s mitt mixed with saws screeching and hammers pounding provides an appropriate soundtrack inside Paul Skenes’ offseason workout facility, a baseball-lover’s paradise and an encapsulation of his unique personality.—
Tribune News Service,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Doncic played a role in both clutch shots, first whipping a one-handed pass behind his back across the court to Gabe Vincent, who shoveled the ball with one hand to Hachimura.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Would the place that had been home for months withstand the whipping winds?—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But those guards fell crashing down on Wednesday night in a brutally honest assessment of his team following Boise State’s (9-6, 1-3 Mountain West) 75-58 home loss to Grand Canyon (9-5, 2-1) at ExtraMile Arena.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Despite the losses, Damon traveled to Texas and won the national title, dedicating the victory to his family and supporters.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Last June, after indirect nuclear negotiations collapsed, the United States joined Israel in a 12-day war with Iran, bombing three of the country’s key nuclear facilities.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The cross on this painting is a target, like when bombing with a drone.—
Thomas Patier,
Artforum,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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School desegregation, voting rights and public-accommodation battles – especially across the South – had led to shootings and beatings of African Americans by white counterprotesters and police.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Non-league Macclesfield Town produced one of the FA Cup’s most startling soccer upsets on Saturday beating titleholders Crystal Palace 2–1 in a third‑round thriller.—
Reuters 17 hr ago,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Vance often has served as an attack dog for the administration, including lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office visit.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Chappell took to social media to vent some of her ire, lashing out at the Biden administration.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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