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
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.
Recent Examples of drubbing
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys’ up-and-down season continued with the team’s 44-24 drubbing at the hands of the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025
And the Broncos proceeded to stomp Dallas into the turf at Empower Field for four quarters Sunday in a 44-24 drubbing, their best end-to-end performance of the year.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 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
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
Jacksonville lost to the Rams 35-7 in London, while the Raiders suffered a 31-0 drubbing at the hands of the Chiefs.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys’ up-and-down season continued with the team’s 44-24 drubbing at the hands of the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025
And the Broncos proceeded to stomp Dallas into the turf at Empower Field for four quarters Sunday in a 44-24 drubbing, their best end-to-end performance of the year.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 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
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
-
The two permanent managers fired during their debut season over recent years — Benitez in January 2016 and Julen Lopetegui in October 2018 — both suffered big defeats in their first games against Barcelona.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Last month, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup to stay in power following his 2022 election defeat.—
NPR,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Buffalo Bills got back on track Sunday by pounding the Carolina Panthers 40-9 and ending a two-game losing streak.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The storm is already pounding Jamaica, and NHC meteorologists urge residents to shelter in place.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Strong, whipping winds are expected to continue across Jamaica throughout the night.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The photo of Chastain whipping off her jersey, shouting in triumph, her sinewy arms flexed, was immediately historic.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The former Indianapolis Colts owner didn’t want anyone to miss his message following the Colts’ catastrophic end-of-season collapse that was punctuated by a 26-11 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Others, like Ava Louise, do it through viral media stunts, like flashing the New York-Dublin Portal or licking a toilet seat in the beginning of the Covid pandemic.—
Taylor Lorenz,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Collins is no doubt licking his chops studying tape of another Patriots rookie, left guard Jared Wilson, who allowed two sacks last weekend.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An art conservator who'd prefer to be immersed in detail work, Sarah is bombing as the host of a dinner party where her entrepreneur husband (Tom Riley) hopes to impress an obnoxious prospective investor (Tom Goodman-Hill) when a literal explosive goes off in her neighborhood.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has often expressed verbal frustration with Putin, accusing him of making positive diplomatic noises before bombing Ukrainian civilians again, but until now had avoided taking direct action.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But experiences similar to what Khaled shared—including extended kneeling, beatings, attacks by military dogs, and a lack of medical care—have been reported by human-rights groups, the United Nations, and news organizations.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
-
They’re designed to stabilize and regulate the heart’s beating, not to inform others of the heart’s catastrophic arrest.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
LogoPowered byScale logo Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, is slowly cutting through the Caribbean, soaking and lashing those in its path with torrential rain and catastrophic winds.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
-
By early evening, Melissa was still lashing the island with gusts potentially estimated as high as 200 mph near the eye and in the mountains.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share