drubbing 1 of 2

noun

as in defeat
failure to win a contest took a terrible drubbing in last night's basketball game

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drubbing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of drub
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
Noun
Pointing to exit polling commissioned by his firm, Cor Strategies, Corbett argued his party’s latest drubbing wasn’t because Illinois had become an uber-liberal bastion. — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 Chase Devoll led the Warriors’ drubbing of Weatherford completing 17 of 23 passes for 213 yards. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026 Most important, however, was that Lloyd’s presence lifted the Panthers (1-1) to their first win of the season, a 34-3 drubbing of their NFC South rival. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026 In a managerial career spanning more than 1,000 games, a drubbing or two is inevitable. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, ageless wonder Derrick Henry began his 11th NFL season with 163 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in a 41-23 drubbing in Indianapolis. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 There wasn’t mention of the drubbing that the Rams took in its opener against the 49ers, but that was perhaps foreshadowed by McVay during his interview. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026 And Ponderosa certainly hasn’t forgotten about the 42-7 drubbing that Dakota Ridge dished out last year. — Brent New, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2026 So the Winnebago wasn’t necessary to watch Cal’s 33-7 drubbing of the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in 2023. — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Sep. 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
  1. defeat
  2. pounding
  3. whipping
  4. loss
  5. licking
  6. bombing
  7. beating
  8. lashing
Noun
  • Abiy's office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said that the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Abiy’s office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Khaled Kazziha, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • Strong winds, pounding seas and coastal flood threats will be near-constant companions for parts of North Carolina up through the Chesapeake Bay area this weekend as a nor’easter that’s expected to linger well into next week starts to take shape.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • You were expected, at the very least, to put up a good fight, and the dance could get real ugly real quick—I’ve witnessed aunties and uncles pounding their fists on the table in a yelling war and checks being ripped straight down the middle.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • My opponent should be condemning political violence, not whipping it up.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipping
Noun
  • If the answer is yes, the efficiency gain may be a competitive loss in disguise.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The British Antarctic Survey researchers emphasize that future losses could be exacerbated if emissions are not reduced.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of loss
Verb
  • Teams have to be licking their chops after seeing what Tampa Bay did to Dallas last Thursday night, especially considering the defense (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have shown through five weeks.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Carter is licking his wounds after the rest of the tribe sent Ana home in a blindside.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports on the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The United States began bombing Iran on February 28 with the goal of destroying the country’s nuclear program, its missile program, and even its government, only to fail spectacularly at each objective.
    — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bombing
Noun
  • This came shortly before South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) determined 38-19 was a suitable-enough beating.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The allegations include electric shocks, beatings and asphyxiation at Maduro’s behest.
    — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.
    — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashing

Browse Nearby Words

drubbed
drubbing
drubbings
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Cite this Entry

“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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