1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a crowd was drubbing the purse snatcher when the police arrived on the scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to overcome
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 drub
The Bears upset the Vikings in Minnesota before the San Francisco 49ers drubbed them at Candlestick Park.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The win meant something to Minnesota after it was drubbed by the Knicks on national television a month prior at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2025
The Democrats’ power structure is dominated by lawmakers from the coasts — both at the leadership and committee level — and Craig is the only one of the three candidates to represent the Heartland, where Democrats were drubbed in this year’s presidential contest.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Denver dominated on the ground, dominated on defense and dominated in Payton’s return to New Orleans, drubbing the Saints 33-10 in primetime.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for drub
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The win meant something to Minnesota after it was drubbed by the Knicks on national television a month prior at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2025
The Democrats’ power structure is dominated by lawmakers from the coasts — both at the leadership and committee level — and Craig is the only one of the three candidates to represent the Heartland, where Democrats were drubbed in this year’s presidential contest.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
Denver dominated on the ground, dominated on defense and dominated in Payton’s return to New Orleans, drubbing the Saints 33-10 in primetime.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for drub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drub
Verb
-
Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Tian Feng, former dean of SenseTime’s Intelligence Industry Research Institute, revealed that the free provision of T800 robots will help smaller companies overcome research and development barriers.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The first obstacle to overcome is to develop a computer chip that works in the extreme conditions of space, which includes exposure to much higher levels of radiation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Behind forceful nights from Nic Claxton, who scored a career-high 28 points, and Noah Clowney, who added 22, and with three rookies taking full advantage of their minutes, the Nets found just enough offense to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-115 at Barclays Center.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The beating heart of space is the custom charcoal grille, which took six months to build just for the new locale.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It’s inspired by a French silk pie, but without any eggs to whip.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
-
For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump later lashed out in response to Carney’s speech.—
Tiago Ventura,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Hard Truths premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and followed Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy, an angry and depressed woman who lashes out at family and strangers, and whose constant criticism slowly isolates her.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
ZaKiyah Johnson scored 16 points, Mikaylah Williams added 12 and LSU bounced back from a midweek loss to rout Auburn.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Covenant Classical routs Weatherford Christian Fort Worth Covenant Classical got 17 points from Tate Mitchell to lead the Cavaliers to a 84-32 victory against Weatherford Christian in a TAPPS 1-3A game on Friday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Only one body was identified by a family, while the others were buried on Friday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In a report published this month in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, a team from the Australian National University examined the tooth enamel of three individuals buried at the Dong Xa Iron Age burial site in Northern Vietnam.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drub. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
