drubbing

American  

[druhb-ing] / ˈdrʌb ɪŋ /

noun

1. a beating; a sound thrashing.

2. a decisive, humiliating defeat, as in a game or contest.

---

drubbing British  

/ ˈdrʌbɪŋ /

noun

1. a beating, as with a stick, cudgel, etc

2. a comprehensive or heavy defeat, esp in a sporting competition

---

Etymology

Origin of drubbing

First recorded in 1640–50; drub + -ing ¹

Explanation

A drubbing in sports is a defeat, especially by a wide margin. Your team's 100-point loss in the dodgeball tournament could be called a drubbing. Ouch. When one team soundly beats another, that's a drubbing. You can also use this word for a more literal kind of beating, actually physically striking someone: "My brother threatened to give that bully a drubbing if he keeps teasing me." The word comes from the verb drub, "to beat," probably from the Arabic root daraba, "he beat up."

Example Sentences

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

Grant did not avoid responsibility for the drubbing he’d just taken.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

St Pauli, whose last win was before the winter break, hosted fourth-placed Stuttgart, who hadn't lost in the league since a 5-0 home drubbing by Bayern on December 6.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

And sure enough, he was picked out among the Principality Stadium crowd when Wales suffered a 10-try drubbing by England during last year's Six Nations.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

“Bit of a drubbing, if I’m being honest.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• beating
• rout
• thrashing
• trouncing
• whipping