as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a terrible drubbing in last night's basketball game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
In the Philadelphia Phillies' 19-4 drubbing of the Atlanta Braves, Schwarber mashed four home runs, becoming just the 21st player in MLB history to do so.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks converted two fourth-down chances out of three in their 31-7 drubbing of Fresno State.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2025
Helpfully, Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game at Sheffield Wednesday gives the manager and players a swift chance to reset and draw a line under their drubbing.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
The New York Yankees blasted nine home runs in yesterday’s 13-3 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Cody Bellinger led the assault.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
After Sunday’s 38-0 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills, the Bears had Monday off.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
And after Sunday’s 33-8 drubbing by the Indianapolis Colts, the Miami Dolphins’ focus will surely be tested for the week.
—Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
In the Philadelphia Phillies' 19-4 drubbing of the Atlanta Braves, Schwarber mashed four home runs, becoming just the 21st player in MLB history to do so.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks converted two fourth-down chances out of three in their 31-7 drubbing of Fresno State.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2025
Helpfully, Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game at Sheffield Wednesday gives the manager and players a swift chance to reset and draw a line under their drubbing.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
The New York Yankees blasted nine home runs in yesterday’s 13-3 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Cody Bellinger led the assault.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
After Sunday’s 38-0 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills, the Bears had Monday off.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drubbing
Noun
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A day later, Fenerbahce dismissed Jose Mourinho, in part due to the defeat to Benfica in the Champions League play-offs.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
With Fritz's defeat, there are no American men left in the tournament.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
-
These unofficial remixes, uploaded from unremarkable accounts, create a kind of Satie-esque audio overdose, pounding the band’s melody into abstraction, pure stimulus.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Milwaukee mother who claimed her stepfather threw her baby from a balcony has now been charged with child abuse herself, accused of whipping her younger brothers.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Olbinski ran to his car, while others hunkered down and braved the brutal winds and whipping sand.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Nate Faanes, found the right lineup combinations in Saturday night’s loss, even without starting defensive linemen Jaylon Johnson and DJ Burgess, the latter being out for the season with an upper-body injury.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Florida Democrats, weakened by years of losses and fractured messaging, continue to face a shrinking electorate.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Excluding the pandemic, that’s the slowest average monthly gain for that January to August time frame since 2010, when the United States was still licking its wounds from the Great Recession.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Today, Alabama is licking its wounds.—
Don Yaeger,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For the first time, Israel launched an airstrike in Qatar, bombing a building in Doha that houses Hamas political leadership.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In this season of Platonic, Luke Macfarlane's character Charlie has a mental breakdown after bombing his dream opportunity to compete on Jeopardy!—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Admission is free and activities include inflatables, carnival games, coloring and beating.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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When beating, whip with vigor using a fork instead of a whisk.—
Megan Zhang,
Saveur,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The company destroyed a piece of lashing wire that investigators believe slapped an Xcel electrical conductor and caused arcing that led to the fire, said Matthew Delinko with Bauman, Lowe, Witt & Maxwell, a law firm representing insurance companies.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Aug. 2025
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By Wednesday, videos of waves lashing the homes began to make the rounds on social media.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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