drubbing

American  

[druhb-ing] / ˈdrʌb ɪŋ /

noun

1. a beating; a sound thrashing.

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

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drubbing British  

/ ˈdrʌbɪŋ /

noun

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

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

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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."

Related Words

• beating
• rout
• thrashing
• trouncing
• whipping