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
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Recent Examples of drubbing
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
After the Jaden Ivey debacle and a series of drubbings, Michael Reinsdorf finally pulled the trigger yesterday and fired executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and his stealthy sidekick, general manager Marc Eversley.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
After the Jaden Ivey debacle and a series of drubbings, Michael Reinsdorf finally pulled the trigger yesterday and fired executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and his stealthy sidekick, general manager Marc Eversley.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 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 Highlanders, who suffered a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Fontana Kaiser on Wednesday in the CIF Southern California Division 3 Regional semifinals, graduate just four seniors.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
-
Nungurey saw a team defense that connected at crucial moments and managed to stave off defeat for one more inning and force extra innings against junior Redwood pitching ace Jackie Ramirez in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs Wednesday.—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The segments that follow Bonnier de La Chapelle are admittedly more successful and sophisticated, bringing to mind the heart-pounding essence of a Costa-Gavras political thriller.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
Moore and Kaveon Jackson took turns pounding the ball on the ground and then Nordman hit Moore with the big touchdown from 15 yards out that set off a wild DeLand celebration on the Bulldogs’ sideline.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
Verb
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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
-
In baseball news, Screencaps the III got his very first legitimate hit of the season by lacing one over the second baseman's head last night with winds whipping 20-25 mph off Lake Erie.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
In that loss, USC stranded 13 runners, struck out 12 times and left men in scoring position in each of the first seven innings.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
The Trojans followed that with three consecutive singles to load the bases and chase Ciscar, who pitched two-plus innings of relief after logging just two outs as Miami’s starter in Saturday’s blowout loss to Florida.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Even small exposures—such as licking pollen off fur or drinking water from a vase containing lilies—can be toxic.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
-
Vietnamese-style sweet-and-spicy chicken wings are a hot, finger-licking mess.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Verb
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On Monday, the Israeli military resumed bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon as peace talks for the Iran war continue.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2026
-
Al Thawadi was in the Oval Office in September last year to watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu place a call to Qatar’s prime minister to apologize for bombing Doha.—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Activists accused Israeli forces of mistreatment in detention, describing beatings, tasers and attack dogs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Between crowded commutes, blinding screens, and the endless tap-tap-tapping on smartphone glass, our senses are constantly taking a beating.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Putin is lashing out by intensifying assaults on civilian targets, especially in the capital city of Kyiv.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Goldschmidt, lashing through the unhittable delivery, just stood in dismay.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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