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
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Recent Examples of drubbing
Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Coral Springs Charter won its semifinal with a 14-0 drubbing of Lakeland McKeel.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026
After Saturday’s 21-point drubbing in Game 6 by the Pistons, Atkinson re-inserted Max Strus into the starting lineup over Dean Wade.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The election drubbing cemented doubts among many Labor lawmakers about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership ability — a brutal indictment on a leader who returned the party to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The Mavericks’ most recent conquest of the team from Texas was a 7-4 drubbing of the Americans on Wednesday night in Game 3.
—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
And remember 2008, when Urban Meyer used all of his timeouts in the final minute of a 49-10 drubbing in Jacksonville?
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
Hours after the club wrapped up a 17-1 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles, news broke that the organization was cleaning house.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
The losing streak reached eight games Wednesday night, punctuated by an 8-2 drubbing at Dodger Stadium that got out of hand in the eighth inning.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
France ended the Seleção’s campaign in the 2006 quarterfinals, the Netherlands did so in 2010, Germany inflicted one of the most infamous defeats in the sport’s history in 2014 – a 7-1 drubbing that had fans crying in the stands – and quarterfinal exits followed again in 2018 and 2022.
—Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Coral Springs Charter won its semifinal with a 14-0 drubbing of Lakeland McKeel.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026
After Saturday’s 21-point drubbing in Game 6 by the Pistons, Atkinson re-inserted Max Strus into the starting lineup over Dean Wade.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The election drubbing cemented doubts among many Labor lawmakers about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership ability — a brutal indictment on a leader who returned the party to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The Mavericks’ most recent conquest of the team from Texas was a 7-4 drubbing of the Americans on Wednesday night in Game 3.
—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
And remember 2008, when Urban Meyer used all of his timeouts in the final minute of a 49-10 drubbing in Jacksonville?
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
Hours after the club wrapped up a 17-1 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles, news broke that the organization was cleaning house.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
The losing streak reached eight games Wednesday night, punctuated by an 8-2 drubbing at Dodger Stadium that got out of hand in the eighth inning.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
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
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After Mexico suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Sweden, their hopes of advancing hinged on South Korea’s team pulling off an unlikely victory over Germany.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
The celebratory parade comes on the heels of the Knicks defeat of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals 4-1 over the weekend, securing the team's first NBA Championship title since 1973 and ending a 53-year drought.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Joseph, Nomkhitha and the children stood silently around the dining-room table, trying to calm their pounding hearts; the littlest ones shivered from the cold and fear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Eight miles down the road, Ragsdale’s friend and Alva’s former ESL teacher Lisa Weinstein woke up to pounding at her door.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
-
But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
Noun
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The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
The Dodgers’ recent bullpen problems persisted in a 6-4 loss Sunday, overshadowing a bounce-back effort from Emmet Sheehan.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Rahm is a more tame thrill ride who should be licking his chops at a venue like this, but could succumb to the conditions and never recover.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Monitor pets for behavioral changes, as pets may experience pain, licking or chewing at a wound, loss of appetite and lethargy.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
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It was used in bombing missions during the current conflict between the US and Iran.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Cook, who is now retired and works in the private sector, became particularly incensed when the military began bombing boats in the Caribbean in September.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The beating damaged more than 73,000 homes in North Carolina, including 8,800 confirmed to be either badly harmed or destroyed, according to the Observer’s previous reporting.—
Maveah Griffith,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
-
Air conditioners run for months on end, hard water wears down plumbing and pool equipment takes a beating.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
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Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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