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:
Japanese stocks remain hot, with the Nikkei 225 continuing to trounce the U.S. equities market this year as it posted a fresh record peak on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 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
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid's 28 points helped the 76ers trounce the Washington Wizards 131-110.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 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
On the west coast, Canada trounced Qatar 6-0 during a match in Vancouver.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
But he’s so bad at politics that it increasingly seems he will get trounced in the primary, even as his potential challengers are also sorely lacking in charisma.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Tech’s surge trounced the S&P 19.8% rebound over the same period, as the stock market bounced back from a first-quarter selloff that picked up speed after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Schiff ended up winning the primary and trounced Garvey in the runoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
In June of that year, Ulbrickson’s varsity had attempted to redeem itself at the annual Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta in Poughkeepsie, New York, but Cal had trounced them again, by five lengths this time.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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
The Russell 2000 has surged 7.9% this year through Friday, trouncing the S&P 500’s 1.4% gain, according to FactSet data.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 18, 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
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.
