as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a serious trouncing during the first game but came back to win the next two
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
our candidate trounced her opponent in the election, winning with 76% of the vote
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Recent Examples of trouncing
Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Muller’s team has won seven of those encounters, including the 2014 World Cup Final and an 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona that was the club’s worst loss in more than half a century.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
LaFleur’s team is 1-0 in the division thanks to its season-opening trouncing of the Lions and is sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 28 Nov. 2025
The doctrine died a surer death with the 1989 invasion of Panama to remove its rogue leader, Manuel Noriega, convicted of drug-running and guilty of trouncing his country’s democracy.
—Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2025
With the Dragons trouncing Byron Nelson and Trinity, the gap between them and the rest of the competition is incredibly wide.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
Though Roan is a total force on stage, polished and magnetic while trouncing around a set made to look like an illustrated fairytale castle, the show is not without her signature frankness.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Sep. 2025
After an uninspiring 10-9 win over Kennesaw State, Wake Forest bounced back in a big way, trouncing Western Carolina 42-10.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took a victory lap Wednesday after trouncing Josh Kraft by a 48-point margin in the preliminary election, saying that her sweep of every ward was indicative of voters feeling the city is moving in the right direction.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Creative tension with old-school Republicans in the first term and then genuine fears about his own reelection following the trouncing the GOP got in 2018 produced a far more popular version of Trumpism than the current undiluted dose.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Muller’s team has won seven of those encounters, including the 2014 World Cup Final and an 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona that was the club’s worst loss in more than half a century.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
LaFleur’s team is 1-0 in the division thanks to its season-opening trouncing of the Lions and is sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Montrose has crushed its Front Range foes in the playoffs, beating Frederick 55-6 in the first round and trouncing Monarch 56-27 in the quarters.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 28 Nov. 2025
The doctrine died a surer death with the 1989 invasion of Panama to remove its rogue leader, Manuel Noriega, convicted of drug-running and guilty of trouncing his country’s democracy.
—Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2025
With the Dragons trouncing Byron Nelson and Trinity, the gap between them and the rest of the competition is incredibly wide.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
Though Roan is a total force on stage, polished and magnetic while trouncing around a set made to look like an illustrated fairytale castle, the show is not without her signature frankness.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Sep. 2025
After an uninspiring 10-9 win over Kennesaw State, Wake Forest bounced back in a big way, trouncing Western Carolina 42-10.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took a victory lap Wednesday after trouncing Josh Kraft by a 48-point margin in the preliminary election, saying that her sweep of every ward was indicative of voters feeling the city is moving in the right direction.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trouncing
Noun
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They are expected to hire former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator after firing Greg Roman two days after their second straight wild-card defeat.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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By the end of the game, Shell's North Carolina A&T men's basketball team would suffer a huge halftime deficit and an eventual 84-58 defeat.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Partnering with Ray-Ban and Oakley, Meta sells smart glasses equipped with AI features so people can take photos, calls and ask questions without whipping out their smartphone.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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The wind was whipping throughout Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, that day, which had a massive impact on the kicking game.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
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School desegregation, voting rights and public-accommodation battles – especially across the South – had led to shootings and beatings of African Americans by white counterprotesters and police.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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Non-league Macclesfield Town produced one of the FA Cup’s most startling soccer upsets on Saturday beating titleholders Crystal Palace 2–1 in a third‑round thriller.—
Reuters 17 hr ago,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The team overcoming those injuries defined the season.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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The search company has been on the rise after putting together the pieces for its AI comeback and overcoming key regulatory hurdles last year.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But those guards fell crashing down on Wednesday night in a brutally honest assessment of his team following Boise State’s (9-6, 1-3 Mountain West) 75-58 home loss to Grand Canyon (9-5, 2-1) at ExtraMile Arena.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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Despite the losses, Damon traveled to Texas and won the national title, dedicating the victory to his family and supporters.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Early one morning in late December, the sky was overcast on the waters off the coast of Dana Point, in Southern California’s Orange County, and still the scales of a thrashing six-pound bonito, reeled in by the chef Junya Yamasaki, shimmered brilliantly.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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There had already been concerns about the team’s ability to compete in big games after the 4-0 loss to PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals in July, and September’s 5-2 thrashing across the city against Atletico Madrid.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, as the friends were returning from Castle Peak, an avalanche was triggered on the backside of the mountain, burying Thomason.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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The sophomore erupted for 14 points in the frame, burying a pair of threes as Malden Catholic pulled away for good.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Also, bombing South America and killing civilians.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Interestingly the pool scene, where Kevin loses his dad’s massive swim trunks while bombing in the pool, was filmed at the Four Seasons Chicago – the Plaza Hotel doesn’t have an indoor pool.—
Adam Turner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trouncing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trouncing. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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