clobber
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
clobbers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clobbered,
past, past participle
-
clobbering
present participle
noun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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to beat or batter
-
to defeat utterly
-
to criticize severely
noun
verb
Regional Use
See clabber.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
clobbersimple
-
clobberssimple
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have clobberedperfect
-
has clobberedperfect
-
am clobberingprogressive
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are clobberingprogressive
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is clobberingprogressive
-
have been clobberingperfect progressive
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has been clobberingperfect progressive
Past
-
clobberedsimple
-
had clobberedperfect
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was clobberingprogressive
-
were clobberingprogressive
-
had been clobberingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clobber1
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; origin uncertain
Origin of clobber2
First recorded in 1875–80; of obscure origin; cf. clobber 3
Origin of clobber3
First recorded in 1850–55; earlier, “to mend, patch up (clothes or shoes)”; of obscure origin
Explanation
To clobber is to beat up or to defeat soundly in a game. You can say your favorite baseball team clobbers the competition if they win with a score of 10 to 0. When a boxer knocks out his adversary he clobbers him, and a bully clobbers his victim by punching him repeatedly. You can also clobber someone without shedding blood, as when you beat your dad in chess. The word clobber was originally World War II British air force slang, in the 1940s, and usually referred to aerial bombing.
Vocabulary lists containing clobber
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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American Football, 4th Quarter
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March: Book Two
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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:
Consequently, any great jump in spending by hyperscalers may clobber stocks that carry great weighting in the market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
At least they don’t reach out to clobber nearby cars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
That’s a relief, particularly given how the movie tries to clobber you into submission.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
Buying and selling "pre-loved" clobber is now a huge industry, in part due to online companies - or marketplaces - such as Depop, Vinted and eBay where people can trade clothes.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2023
He—tentatively at first, until he knows I’m not gonna clobber him again—gets a big hand under each of my armpits and helps me to my feet, then puts his arm around me for support.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
But if it clobbers Oklahoma State and Oregon struggles vs.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Popular media hasembraced the terms, using them when a snowstorm clobbers an area that usually gets little snow.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 11, 2022
Mickelson’s not quite out of it, three back of Mattiace as he clobbers his drive on the 15th.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 25, 2020
Malnutrition clobbers the immune system, leaving the victim more prone to infections and more likely to die from them.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 6, 2017
That line of hers clobbers me over and over.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
He clobbered the first ball over the covers for six, then scampered back for two unlikely twos.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
That team held a players-only meeting after falling to 0-3… then got clobbered, 27-0, by the Houston Oilers in Week 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
But it kind of mattered, at least psychologically, and for pride, especially for Turkey, which was getting clobbered back home for its nonperformance in the Cup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Even when software names were getting clobbered, retail traders stepped up and bought the dip, according to Vanda Research.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
“What’s this?” said Scooter, drawing back and almost getting clobbered.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
“The Last House” and “The Whisper Man” have both outperformed “Don’t Say Good Luck,” with “The Whisper Man” clobbering both in the number of hours viewed after just a few days on the streamer.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Apple finally overthrew Nvidia to reclaim the title of the world’s largest company by market capitalization, underscoring the dramatic degree to which the iPhone maker’s stock is clobbering the broader technology universe.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ford’s secret project had an ambitious goal: to figure out how to make electric vehicles in the U.S. that could compete with the Chinese models clobbering competitors globally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
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 ● Nov. 5, 2025
Out in the dust-clouded yard, Riker’s tyrannosaurus leaned down and gobbled up a man in a prison uniform, then swept its tail in a wide arc, clobbering two knuckleskulls and sending their riders flying.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
