trounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to beat severely; thrash.
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to punish.
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to defeat decisively.
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing trounce
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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.
Meanwhile, the sumptuous imagery and amiable pacing of “Wuthering Heights” trounce del Toro’s ghastly slog of a film.
From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026
Portugal, which is reeling from a battering by deadly storms, began voting in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday, with the moderate candidate expected to trounce his far-right rival.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
That makes it unlikely that precious metals can trounce stocks the way they did in the inflationary 1970s when gold delivered 15 times the S&P 500’s return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 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 are playing West Charleston High School and they think they’re coming down here to trounce the hicks.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
