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clobber

1 American  
[klob-er] / ˈklɒb ər /

verb (used with object)

Slang.

  1. to batter severely; strike heavily.

    He tried to clobber me with his club.

  2. to defeat decisively; drub; trounce.

    Synonyms:
    lick, thrash, whip

  3. to denounce or criticize vigorously.

clobber 2 American  
[klob-er] / ˈklɒb ər /

noun

British, Australian Slang.

  1. (used with a plural verb) clothes.

clobber 3 American  
[klob-er] / ˈklɒb ər /

verb (used with object)

  1. to paint over existing decoration on (a ceramic piece).

clobber 4 American  
[klob-er] / ˈklɒb ər /

noun

South Midland and Southern U.S.

  1. clabber.

clobber 1 British  
/ ˈklɒbə /

verb

  1. to beat or batter

  2. to defeat utterly

  3. to criticize severely

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
clobber 2 British  
/ ˈklɒbə /

noun

  1. slang personal belongings, such as clothes and accessories

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
clobber 3 British  
/ ˈklɒbə /

verb

  1. (tr) to paint over existing decoration on (pottery)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Regionalisms

See clabber.

Etymology

Origin of clobber1

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; origin uncertain

Origin of clobber2

First recorded in 1875–80; of obscure origin; clobber 3

Origin of clobber3

First recorded in 1850–55; earlier, “to mend, patch up (clothes or shoes)”; of obscure origin

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.

Weatherald was in fine early touch, clobbering a series of boundaries from Carse whose radar was off, bowling too short and wide.

From Barron's

Britain’s economy has struggled to get out of first gear since the crisis almost two decades ago clobbered its huge finance sector.

From The Wall Street Journal

Charges began to hit the boat directly, clobbering the hull like a hammer on a pail.

From Literature

He put himself on the Ashes radar by clobbering 183 for Australia A during a red-ball series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin this year, with his form continuing in the Sheffield Shield.

From Barron's

An automated software tool made a mistake that clobbered what is likely the world’s largest database, an Amazon product called AmazonDB.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.