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
After his drubbing by DeSantis, several Democrats said Jolly was campaigning more effectively. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Blaze host Auron MacIntyre likewise opined that all the infighting over burrito pricing is a symptom of a party bracing for a midterm drubbing and pre-emptively looking for something to pin it on. — Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile in Foxborough, it's been a long offseason since the drubbing the Patriots took in SB60. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 27 July 2026 The pair were on hand to throw out the first pitch before the White Sox’s 12-3 drubbing of the Houston Astros, one to Murakami and the other to his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 26 July 2026 And Republican figures who had tied their star to Trump fear a drubbing in the midterms so long as the war continues. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 The drubbing moved the Sox to 42-38 on the season, and kept them in sole possession of first place in the AL Central. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026 And now Starmer himself is out less than two years into a five-year mandate, his Labour government undone by a local-election drubbing and a right-wing populist rise that has scrambled the country’s two-party map. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 June 2026 And without Burnham’s presence, no Labour leadership race can really materialize despite seven ministers resigning from Starmer’s government since a drubbing for the party in May’s local elections, which do not affect the national government but provide an important indication of the public’s mood. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 June 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
  • But that defeat to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX was the worst pro season for McDuffie until last year.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In 2025 things got more serious for Jair Bolsonaro when he was convicted and sentenced to about 27 years in prison for his role in planning a coup to remain in power after his election defeat.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • When your pounding headache is the result of alcohol (or a stomach virus), a pain reliever alone will not fix the problem.
    — Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Sarajevans still remember his commands to the Serb gunmen pounding the Bosnian capital in early 1992.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • Whisk with ¾ cup whole milk and use in any sweet recipe that doesn’t require whipping.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
  • At the landing zone, with bullets whipping and cracking around them, Capers—barely clinging to consciousness—refused to board the helicopter until every last man, and his dog’s body, was aboard.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping
Noun
  • Mayer’s three professional defeats have now all come in England, following split-decision losses to Alycia Baumgardner in London in 2022 and Natasha Jonas in Liverpool in 2024.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After missing the playoffs in 2025, Martin started off on a great note, handing a solid Mansfield program a 38-35 loss.
    — Charles Baggarly August 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of loss
Verb
  • One act featured two young women sitting on the stage and licking orange Popsicles (yes, that was the whole act).
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Owners should also watch for licking that is sudden, persistent or severe enough to cause hair loss or skin damage.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • The status of its nuclear program, degraded by bombing strikes in 2025, hasn't changed.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Prabowo vowed the government would continue supporting firefighting operations, including through the deployment of additional water-bombing helicopters and oxygen supplies for firefighters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bombing
Noun
  • The 22-0 beating, was the largest loss in the history of the Yankees’ organization.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Despite meeting or beating estimates, shares dropped as investors remained unimpressed.
    — Arjun Kharpal,Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • Vinicius Jr started each of Brazil’s five matches at the World Cup and played a starring role in the group stage, lashing in an excellent goal against Morocco, scoring and assisting against Haiti, and adding a brace against Scotland.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of lashing

Browse Nearby Words

drubbed
drubbing
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Cite this Entry

“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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