trounce
verb
trounced; trouncing
: to thrash or punish severely
especially
: to defeat decisively
trounced the rival team
Examples of trounce in a Sentence
our candidate trounced her opponent in the election, winning with 76% of the vote
Recent Examples on the Web
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson had just trounced Michael Dukakis in the Michigan presidential primary — despite polls predicting Dukakis would win easily.
—
Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
That swing is similar to what transpired earlier in February after a special election for a state Senate seat in Texas, where the Democratic contender trounced their GOP rival and flipped a seat the party hasn't held since 1978.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
And especially considering how the Blue Jays, who beat up on the Yankees during the regular season, trounced them in October, winning the ALDS in four games en route to the World Series.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 11 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for trounce
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Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
That swing is similar to what transpired earlier in February after a special election for a state Senate seat in Texas, where the Democratic contender trounced their GOP rival and flipped a seat the party hasn't held since 1978.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
And especially considering how the Blue Jays, who beat up on the Yankees during the regular season, trounced them in October, winning the ALDS in four games en route to the World Series.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 11 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for trounce
Cite this Entry
“Trounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trounce. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trounce
verb
trounced; trouncing
: to thrash or punish severely
especially
: to defeat thoroughly
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