as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a terrible drubbing in last night's basketball game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of drubbing
Josh Gross, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
After suffering the largest loss in franchise history Sunday at Toronto (a 52-point drubbing), Magic coach Jamahl Mosley wanted his team to throw the first punch Tuesday night against the Suns at Kia Center.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, listed at 19-10 odds by BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by the Wolverines — coming off a 95-62 drubbing of Tennessee on Sunday — at 2-1.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
This time, there was no second-half comeback, as the Current fell to a second straight loss, a 3-0 drubbing.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Two of those victories came over Hopkins, including a 35-point drubbing in the section final.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2026
League-leaders Sporting JAX took it to the hosts in a 4-0 drubbing at the Sunday at the Cotton Bowl.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
After a pair of one-run wins to start the series, Texas A&M baseball left no doubt in Sunday's 7-1 drubbing of Penn.
—American Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
In actuality, a soccer drubbing broke out.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
After suffering the largest loss in franchise history Sunday at Toronto (a 52-point drubbing), Magic coach Jamahl Mosley wanted his team to throw the first punch Tuesday night against the Suns at Kia Center.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, listed at 19-10 odds by BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by the Wolverines — coming off a 95-62 drubbing of Tennessee on Sunday — at 2-1.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
This time, there was no second-half comeback, as the Current fell to a second straight loss, a 3-0 drubbing.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Two of those victories came over Hopkins, including a 35-point drubbing in the section final.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2026
League-leaders Sporting JAX took it to the hosts in a 4-0 drubbing at the Sunday at the Cotton Bowl.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
After a pair of one-run wins to start the series, Texas A&M baseball left no doubt in Sunday's 7-1 drubbing of Penn.
—American Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 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
Noun
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Jaquez had the best performance off the Heat’s bench, finishing the defeat with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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There is no defeat quite like sitting down for a gaming session after a 10-hour workday, hoping to get your woes out by winning some battles, but your ancient monitor decides to act up.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That didn’t stop Uthmeier from chest-pounding across social-media platforms.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
That is when Peralta started pounding the rookie inside.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon’s and Earth’s gravity, making a figure 8 after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon and Earth’s gravity, making a figure eight after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
No matter the result, Curry is back and healthy at long last for the Warriors after a right knee injury, and everyone at Chase Center celebrated right along with him in Golden State's 117-116 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Senior Devon Blair will be the top starter for the Vikings and finished with a 16-strikeout contest in a tough loss to Northbridge in the postseason.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The next day, the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, launching the country into war.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Human Rights Watch has said bombing them would constitute a war crime.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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During pregame warmups David Beckham and the Mas brothers walked toward the end-zone where all the most rabid fans do the flag-waving and drum-beating and raised their hands to applaud the cheering fans.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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The Dodgers scored five times in the first two innings – four on two doubles by Freddie Freeman – and went on to hand the Washington Nationals another beating, 10-5, on Saturday at Nationals Park.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The president of a labor union representing Transportation Security Administration employees is lashing out at lawmakers, telling them not to leave Washington, DC, for Easter recess before passing a deal to pay its agents amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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How this showdown plays out will affect not only Anthropic’s booming business but also the way tech titans and other corporations work with an administration known for lashing out at resisters, said Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drubbing. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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