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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drubbing
Noun
-
Calgary is coming off a defeat, however, having most recently fallen 20-12 to the previously 0-2 Ottawa Redblacks.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025 -
The reigning world champions had inflicted a 7-1 defeat on Portugal in April.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
Verb
-
But the unhappy ending is especially head-pounding for Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Queen finished with a team-best 17 points, but Maryland frequently settled for outside jumpers instead of pounding the ball inside to Queen and Julian Reese.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Elle was also seen whipping her hands in a circle to the music during the awards ceremony.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
-
This instant camera captures little moments and big occasions on film, which feels a little more special than whipping out an iPhone.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Gauff, by contrast, was 20-3 at that stage, including a loss to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 July 2025
-
Businesses unknowingly employ these fictitious vendors, incurring massive financial losses and data breaches.—
Steve Durbin,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Jared Harris is the best movie John ever, licking his lips and sucking his teeth; Aidan Quinn is the best movie Paul.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Boston, Cleveland, and New York are licking their chops, ready to feast on a Bucks team missing its point guard, its bench leader, and its identity.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Republic first tied the Goons to the fatal group beating of Preston Lord, 16.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
-
Shooting after shooting, a dark tally of beatings and murder.—
Will Potter
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Most people let setbacks crush them, replaying the pain on repeat while missing the hidden power of learning from them.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Chelsea has avoided major injury setbacks through its first five games.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
8 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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