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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drubbing
Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 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
The Seleção has been knocked out in the quarterfinals in four of the last five tournaments and finished fourth in 2014, which featured an obscene 7-1 drubbing against Germany in the semifinal.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 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
-
The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak end in Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs opened the biggest halftime lead by a visiting team in the Finals.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
The scars left by this Western Conference Final defeat to the Chicago Wolves in seven games will linger.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
Verb
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When the worker said yes, there followed a cacophony of voices, radios, and pounding boots as police stormed the property.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The Seahawks won those shootouts, but that was mostly due to their special teams whipping the Rams and their offense going off, especially in the Super Bowl qualifier.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The Angels scored only five runs in their first five losses to the Dodgers, and Rivero – a 27-year-old journeyman backup catcher – drove in six all by himself on Sunday.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
-
If dangerous logistics and supply runs can be achieved using cheap autonomous electric vehicles, the costs of losses become more acceptable.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Verb
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That licking instinct may have led Jacobs’s elk to an area known as Flag Swamp, a one-acre wetland filled with blue flag irises and shrubby willow trees.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Finally, 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,
9 June 2026
Verb
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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
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The tit-for-tat strikes were sparked by Israel bombing the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, long considered a Hezbollah stronghold, on Sunday.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
For me, writing means trying to get close enough to each character to feel their heart beating, which challenges the first level, because human beings are much more complex and contradictory than sociological simplifications.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
Old newspaper articles shown in the documentary report beatings, violent deaths and brandings at Pennhurst, as well as a drowning.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Verb
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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
-
Iran’s lashing out at Israel for the sake of Hezbollah carries major risks.—
Sam Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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