trounce
Americanverb (used with object)
-
trounces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trounced,
past participle, past
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trouncing
present participle
-
to beat severely; thrash.
-
to punish.
-
to defeat decisively.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trouncesimple
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trouncessimple
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have trouncedperfect
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has trouncedperfect
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am trouncingprogressive
-
are trouncingprogressive
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is trouncingprogressive
-
have been trouncingperfect progressive
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has been trouncingperfect progressive
Past
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trouncedsimple
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had trouncedperfect
-
was trouncingprogressive
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were trouncingprogressive
-
had been trouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trounce
First recorded in 1545–55; origin uncertain
Explanation
When you trounce someone, you win decisively. If you win a chess match in three moves, you trounce your opponent. When a professional tennis player is in the midst of a tournament, she hopes to trounce her rival, and an ambitious speller might dream of the day she competes nationally and trounces all the other competitors. A victorious army can also be said to trounce the enemy. The origin of trounce is uncertain, though one theory has the French troncer, or "cut a piece off from," as its root.
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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:
Blistering bull markets in South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan have helped Asian stocks trounce the U.S. so far this year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
The category went on to trounce U.S. stocks for much of last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Meanwhile, the sumptuous imagery and amiable pacing of “Wuthering Heights” trounce del Toro’s ghastly slog of a film.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
Note, JPMorgan and others have been pushing back at this retreat, defending solid fundamentals for gold, as they see “real assets” like commodities and real estate continuing to trounce stocks, bonds and cash.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026
We were evenly matched at most games, but he could trounce me at certain titles, especially anything in the first-person shooter genre.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
It also trounces the reported $15 billion bounty that John Paulson scored in 2007 wagering against the housing market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
The fund’s strong performance in 2025 trounces the S&P 500’s 16.1% gain this year through Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 3, 2025
Amazon trounces both online retailers with 56% of its 268 million unique monthly visits in October resulting in purchases, its data shows.
From Reuters ● Nov. 22, 2023
If Soto sometimes trounces over the lyricism of her lines, she’s always true to Beatrice’s immediate circumstances and never falls into recitation for recitation’s sake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
When very young he deals with the matter in a straightforward fashion, and trounces the author for every unwitting solecism and willing falsification that is discovered.
From Our Stage and Its Critics By "E.F.S." of "The Westminster Gazette" by Edward Fordham Spence
Just last year, for instance, the Cincinnati Reds managed to steal a wild-card spot with a record of 83-79, only to be immediately trounced by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
His team was trounced 16–7 by the Kyrgyz side, the clear favourites to win.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
They trounced Rangers on all of the things that require no talent, just honesty.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Look at how the Dow trounced the Nasdaq composite over the seven trading sessions through June 25.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Thoroughbreds run because they love to, but when overraced they can become stale and uninterested, especially when repeatedly trounced and bullied by their riders, as Seabiscuit was.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Japanese stocks remain hot, with the Nikkei 225 trouncing the U.S. equities market this year as it posted a fresh record peak on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Chinese automakers are trouncing rivals in markets around the world with sleek, high-tech and affordable EVs and hybrids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
A quarterback who hadn’t spent all season trouncing the rest of college football might have wilted under the pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Semenyo scored and provided an assist in a memorable debut in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, though that 10-1 trouncing came against League One side Exeter City.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
Within months of its debut in 1996, Blue’s Clues was trouncing Sesame Street in the ratings.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
