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
-
But the lack of pitching and power resulted in a tidal wave of defeats this year – even though top draft picks Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad have already reached Camden Yards, along with Coby Mayo, Jordan Westburg, Rutschman, and Henderson.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025 -
The government has suffered legal defeats on a range of issues including the firing of probationary federal workers, freezing of billions in foreign aid and a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 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
-
Reports of fake or counterfeit medications include erectile dysfunction medications, weight loss medications, opioids, cancer drugs, Botox, stimulants and HIV therapeutics.—
Robert Glatter,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
Their season ended with a 121-110 loss to the Timberwolves, a gentleman’s sweep to bruise their egos, with Curry in a tan sweatsuit.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
15 May 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
-
Release of video of the beating sparked protests and vigils across the nation and calls for change within the Memphis Police Department.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
-
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized in critical condition after the arrest and died three days later from injuries sustained during the beating.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
8 May 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
-
Both those outcomes would be a major setback for those who want to see promotion and relegation at the top level of the American game.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
-
Transgender troops The Supreme Court dealt a setback to transgender service members on Tuesday.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
7 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share