as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a serious trouncing during the first game but came back to win the next two
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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
Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Moments before the ball was tipped ahead of the Phoenix Suns’ Game 1 trouncing, Dillon Brooks ran his fingers over the grooves of the game ball the way starters tend to.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Last year’s trophy was won by Paris Saint Germain following its 5-0 trouncing of Inter Milan.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2026
Kings organist Dieter Ruehle was feeling a bit cheeky during Thursday’s 8-1 trouncing by the Edmonton Oilers.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
That blend of players yielded the team’s first playoff victory, a trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings in the wake of a turbulent week of wildfires in Los Angeles.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Now, the Hawks’ trouncing the Knicks in this category may be a tinge inflated, if only because of matchups.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Aledo stacks another win Aledo won its 11th consecutive game Friday, trouncing Saginaw 15-0 in shutout fashion.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
The endorsements came after first quarter fundraising numbers show Goldman trouncing challenger Brad Lander in cash on hand, raking in more than twice as much money.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Carlsbad continued to play like an Open Division quality team on Wednesday night, trouncing host La Jolla Country Day 16-3 to improve to 6-3 on the young season.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
That advice ended up coinciding with a 44% surge in clean energy stocks in 2025, trouncing the 16% gain in the S&P 500 Index.
—Alastair Marsh, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Boise went into halftime trouncing the hosts in second-chance points (13-2) and on the boards (21-11).
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
The Seahawks were the top seed in the NFC, going 14-3 in the competitive NFC West before trouncing the division rival San Francisco 49ers and edging out the division rival Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
—Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
Two and a half hours after Palisades’ girls team captured its fourth straight City Section lacrosse championship with a 20-8 trouncing of Birmingham, Palisades boys saw their streak of nine consecutive titles snapped in a 5-4 loss to the same school.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Moments before the ball was tipped ahead of the Phoenix Suns’ Game 1 trouncing, Dillon Brooks ran his fingers over the grooves of the game ball the way starters tend to.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Last year’s trophy was won by Paris Saint Germain following its 5-0 trouncing of Inter Milan.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2026
Kings organist Dieter Ruehle was feeling a bit cheeky during Thursday’s 8-1 trouncing by the Edmonton Oilers.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
That blend of players yielded the team’s first playoff victory, a trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings in the wake of a turbulent week of wildfires in Los Angeles.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Expectations for fourth-quarter profit range from 65 cents to 79 cents per share, trouncing Wall Street's call for 55 cents a share, per LSEG.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Now, the Hawks’ trouncing the Knicks in this category may be a tinge inflated, if only because of matchups.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Aledo stacks another win Aledo won its 11th consecutive game Friday, trouncing Saginaw 15-0 in shutout fashion.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
The endorsements came after first quarter fundraising numbers show Goldman trouncing challenger Brad Lander in cash on hand, raking in more than twice as much money.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Carlsbad continued to play like an Open Division quality team on Wednesday night, trouncing host La Jolla Country Day 16-3 to improve to 6-3 on the young season.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
That advice ended up coinciding with a 44% surge in clean energy stocks in 2025, trouncing the 16% gain in the S&P 500 Index.
—Alastair Marsh, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Boise went into halftime trouncing the hosts in second-chance points (13-2) and on the boards (21-11).
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
The Seahawks were the top seed in the NFC, going 14-3 in the competitive NFC West before trouncing the division rival San Francisco 49ers and edging out the division rival Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
—Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trouncing
Noun
-
All season long, the Wolves have relied on their resilience to bounce back from embarrassing defeats.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the pinstripers.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
It was delivered by the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, whose torso uncorked in a fit of frustration that sent his right elbow whipping toward Reid’s windpipe like a torpedo bat flying through the strike zone.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
That abundance of tall buildings also contributes to the city’s famous wind, which was really whipping all four days of our visit.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps repair some divots on a court that took a beating Saturday night.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
-
Each day, they are filled with one-dimensional stories of beatings, stabbing and shootings — all sad accounts of a city in decline.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The author is an entrepreneur and working on a book about overcoming betrayal.—
Emily Bryn Williams,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
Two years ago, Romeo and her family celebrated her evolution as a performer after overcoming previous struggles.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The day after that loss, per team sources, Brunson approached the team before practice about needing to re-shift the collective mindset.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The Aces, who were coming off a 33-point blowout opening day loss to Phoenix on Saturday, scored 33 of their points in the third quarter and that’s when the wheels fell off for the Sparks.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Diego Simeone’s team also beat them in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, including a 4-0 thrashing in the first leg.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
-
Water safety Drowning isn't loud and dramatic with a lot of yelling and thrashing.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Add veterans who raise the team’s competence without burying young players.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
-
Even worse, local governments are starting to follow suit, holding meetings and burying documents in secrecy when the truth is politically inconvenient.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Underlying tensions are taut, Iran thinks the US blockade is a violation, the UAE is still smarting from Iranian missile attacks Monday and Tuesday, and Israel is torching a key plank of the ceasefire deal, re-escalating in Lebanon by bombing Hezbollah leaders.—
Jennifer Hansler,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
-
Trump claimed Friday that the law is a moot point because the United States is no longer bombing Iran.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trouncing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trouncing. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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