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
Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2025
How to Watch New Mexico State vs Liberty New Mexico State is fresh off its biggest win of the season, a 37-10 drubbing of the Sam Houston Bearkats.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Cincinnati digested the latest drubbing against Detroit knowing the only answers at quarterback were outside the building.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Even after a 14-win regular season campaign, fans didn’t exactly leave last year’s playoff drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams overly enthused about their professional football franchise.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
Their voices have been heard, as Tewksbury (2-0) made a statement in its own right with an eye-opening 28-6 drubbing of Methuen.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The most impressive of those by far was a 31-7 drubbing of South Carolina in the Gamecocks' own backyard.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 24 Sep. 2025
Williams rose to the occasion, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns in the Bears' 31-14 drubbing of the Cowboys, Chicago's first win of the season.
—Kate Reilly, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Hendrickson has two sacks for Cincinnati, which is 2-1 but coming off a 48-10 drubbing against Minnesota.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
West Virginia has lost four straight, all by at least 14 points, including Saturday’s 45-13 drubbing at Central Florida.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2025
How to Watch New Mexico State vs Liberty New Mexico State is fresh off its biggest win of the season, a 37-10 drubbing of the Sam Houston Bearkats.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Cincinnati digested the latest drubbing against Detroit knowing the only answers at quarterback were outside the building.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Even after a 14-win regular season campaign, fans didn’t exactly leave last year’s playoff drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams overly enthused about their professional football franchise.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
Their voices have been heard, as Tewksbury (2-0) made a statement in its own right with an eye-opening 28-6 drubbing of Methuen.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The most impressive of those by far was a 31-7 drubbing of South Carolina in the Gamecocks' own backyard.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 24 Sep. 2025
Williams rose to the occasion, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns in the Bears' 31-14 drubbing of the Cowboys, Chicago's first win of the season.
—Kate Reilly, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Hendrickson has two sacks for Cincinnati, which is 2-1 but coming off a 48-10 drubbing against Minnesota.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 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
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Debate rages on in Pennsylvania as to whether the Eagles offense is too predictable, or simply ineffective after the Eagles lost their second straight game last week, an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Giants on Thursday Night Football.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United, the approach was more akin to what Tottenham fans might have been used to seeing in the Europa League last season, when Postecoglou took a more pragmatic outlook.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Led by blaring ‘80s synthesizers and a pounding beat, the song features a distorted lead vocal from D’Angelo, who accompanies himself on multitracked backing vocals with the occasional soul shriek thrown in for good measure.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
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John Candy famously took a racquetball to the skull in a key comedic scene from the 1984 film Splash — and fellow actor Tom Hanks recalls that his late costar's head might've been pounding already after Candy spent the night before drinking with Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Sedaris were sitting front row, with Parker whipping out her phone to film Reese.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
While summer may be over, nothing is stopping you from whipping this thing out for the holiday season.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy sought the advice of doctors after dealing with severe memory loss and brain fog, reportedly leading to a scan of his brain that showed a dark spot in the imagery.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Following Sunday's loss, first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer defended Eberflus, saying the product on the field is a team effort.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The sugars in the glaze coat the chicken and carrots to create a finger-licking delicious dinner.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
-
And the Trojans’ defense that came in licking its wounds after allowing 502 yards in a last-gasp loss at Illinois two weeks ago?—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country's east.—
NPR,
NPR,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For months, Israel has conducted a campaign of airstrikes across Syria, repeatedly bombing Syrian military positions, including near the presidential palace in Damascus.—
Mireille Rebeiz,
The Conversation,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The ministry claimed that some of the bodies showed signs of abuse and beating, adding that the identification process is ongoing.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
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On many nights, Tamara would find her grandmother hunched over the kitchen table, poring over trial transcripts in which Erik and Lyle delivered hours of tearful and stomach-churning accounts of beatings, verbal lashings and rape.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What To Know The Philippines' inter-agency National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea on Monday released drone footage showing a Chinese coast guard ship lashing a Philippine boat with its water cannon.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Coastal areas of suburban Long Island could see flooding, with up to 3 inches (about 8 centimeters) of rain and lashing winds expected, the weather service said.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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