drub
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to beat with a stick or the like; cudgel; flog; thrash.
-
to defeat decisively, as in a game or contest.
-
to drive as if by flogging.
Latin grammar was drubbed into their heads.
-
to stamp (the feet).
noun
verb
-
to beat as with a stick; cudgel; club
-
to defeat utterly, as in a contest
-
to drum or stamp (the feet)
-
to instil with force or repetition
the master drubbed Latin into the boys
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of drub
1625–35; perhaps by uncertain mediation < Arabic ḍarb blow, beating
Vocabulary lists containing drub
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bass bounded into office in 2022, buoyed by a broad coalition and Democratic wall of support that helped her drub billionaire mall mogul Rick Caruso, despite Caruso massively outspending her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
Bass took advantage of the new political landscape to drub her rival, notching a nearly 10-percentage-point margin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2022
On March 2, Le Batard began the local hour with a lengthy investigation into how the Los Angeles Lakers managed to drub the Miami Heat the night before, putting up 131 points.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2018
After all, the rule of thumb for a century has been drub the bums and play .500 against top teams.
From Washington Post ● May 30, 2016
He fine a mangy sheep could scrub, Or nobly fling the gospel club, And New-Light herds could nicely drub Or pay their skin; Could shake them o'er the burning dub, Or heave them in.
From Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns
Others have had their moments: Fellow debutants Curacao scored against Germany - despite being drubbed - Jordan pushed Austria for long periods and DR Congo held Portugal.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Protasiewicz drubbed Kelly by double digits, according to unofficial returns.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023
It was a bit of déjà vu — Arleta trying to stop Stanley in its first game of the season for the second year in a row, getting drubbed by Granada Hills in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
As the Tampa Bay Lightning were getting drubbed 7-0 by the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, there was never any serious consideration about pulling reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
“Yes, sir,” answered the seaman, “we’ve been and drubbed the Monsieurs; but there are still two on ’em below kicking up a bobbery.
From True Blue by William Henry Giles Kingston
Tech stocks look poised to recover from Thursday’s memory-led drubbing while the broad market is mixed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
From the World Cup win at Lord's in 2017 to last year's Ashes drubbing down under.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Reduced to 40 percent of seats after a drubbing in the 2024 general election, Nelson Mandela's former liberation movement has been forced into an often-uneasy coalition with nine other parties.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
Instead, they got the experimental “All Shook Up,” which has aged well despite the critical drubbing it received at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
“Bit of a drubbing, if I’m being honest.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
