as in defeat
failure to win a contest
took a serious trouncing during the first game but came back to win the next two
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
our candidate trounced her opponent in the election, winning with 76% of the vote
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of trouncing
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2026
Kings organist Dieter Ruehle was feeling a bit cheeky during Thursday’s 8-1 trouncing by the Edmonton Oilers.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
That blend of players yielded the team’s first playoff victory, a trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings in the wake of a turbulent week of wildfires in Los Angeles.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Creative tension with old-school Republicans in the first term and then genuine fears about his own reelection following the trouncing the GOP got in 2018 produced a far more popular version of Trumpism than the current undiluted dose.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Muller’s team has won seven of those encounters, including the 2014 World Cup Final and an 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona that was the club’s worst loss in more than half a century.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
LaFleur’s team is 1-0 in the division thanks to its season-opening trouncing of the Lions and is sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
Valencia got 55% of votes in the contest held by conservative candidates, with nearly all the ballots tallied, trouncing eight other presidential hopefuls.
—Oscar Medina, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Boise went into halftime trouncing the hosts in second-chance points (13-2) and on the boards (21-11).
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
With his team trouncing the Philadelphia 76ers and Alvarado already on fire from 3-point range, the New York Knicks’ newest guard turned to his greatest hits.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The Seahawks were the top seed in the NFC, going 14-3 in the competitive NFC West before trouncing the division rival San Francisco 49ers and edging out the division rival Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
—Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
So what is the path forward if trouncing the supply lines won’t produce results?
—Sterling Elliott, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026
The stock, which has jumped 16% year to date, is our third-best performer in these early days of 2026, trouncing the S & P 500′s gain of just 1% this year.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
In the last year, Walmart shares have risen 27%, double the S&P 500’s growth and trouncing Amazon’s 1% increase.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
Last year’s trophy was won by Paris Saint Germain following its 5-0 trouncing of Inter Milan.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2026
Kings organist Dieter Ruehle was feeling a bit cheeky during Thursday’s 8-1 trouncing by the Edmonton Oilers.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
That blend of players yielded the team’s first playoff victory, a trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings in the wake of a turbulent week of wildfires in Los Angeles.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Creative tension with old-school Republicans in the first term and then genuine fears about his own reelection following the trouncing the GOP got in 2018 produced a far more popular version of Trumpism than the current undiluted dose.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Muller’s team has won seven of those encounters, including the 2014 World Cup Final and an 8-2 trouncing of Barcelona that was the club’s worst loss in more than half a century.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
LaFleur’s team is 1-0 in the division thanks to its season-opening trouncing of the Lions and is sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Isiah Pacheco also put together 57 yards and one touchdown in the Chiefs' trouncing of the Raiders.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Carlsbad continued to play like an Open Division quality team on Wednesday night, trouncing host La Jolla Country Day 16-3 to improve to 6-3 on the young season.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
Valencia got 55% of votes in the contest held by conservative candidates, with nearly all the ballots tallied, trouncing eight other presidential hopefuls.
—Oscar Medina, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Boise went into halftime trouncing the hosts in second-chance points (13-2) and on the boards (21-11).
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
With his team trouncing the Philadelphia 76ers and Alvarado already on fire from 3-point range, the New York Knicks’ newest guard turned to his greatest hits.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The Seahawks were the top seed in the NFC, going 14-3 in the competitive NFC West before trouncing the division rival San Francisco 49ers and edging out the division rival Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
—Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026
So what is the path forward if trouncing the supply lines won’t produce results?
—Sterling Elliott, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026
The stock, which has jumped 16% year to date, is our third-best performer in these early days of 2026, trouncing the S & P 500′s gain of just 1% this year.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
In the last year, Walmart shares have risen 27%, double the S&P 500’s growth and trouncing Amazon’s 1% increase.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trouncing
Noun
-
This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Mental mistakes have led to losses, such as SKC’s most recent 4-1 defeat to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon’s and Earth’s gravity, making a figure 8 after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon and Earth’s gravity, making a figure eight after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then, to add insult to injury, the Cavaliers carried a 109-87 lead into the fourth when Cleveland’s Evan Mobley ended the third quarter with a successful 32-foot buzzer-beating heave.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2026
-
He and Flores also are accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Applicants must write an essay that reflects a background of overcoming adversity, such as growing up in a low-income setting or losing a parent.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Waring and Woodland are both in the midst of overcoming big obstacles of a different nature.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s high praise from one who has coached four Hall of Famers and several more who are destined to be so, but this team broke an eight-year championship drought last season and, despite the loss of superstar Paige Bueckers, didn’t skip a beat this year.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But the four losses to egregious tankers were inexcusable.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The rage that followed the 85-52 thrashing by UConn faded into the work done to prepare for the next tournament run.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Eleven whales — most of them female — surfaced, their heads facing one another, and started thrashing and diving above and below the water.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Just over two minutes later, the Senators tied the game with Batherson burying a rebound in the crease for his second of the game.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Just enough animation to keep you from giving up and burying the thing in an unmarked grave.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, Lamont’s idea for a gasoline tax rebate remains in flux as prices have soared due to the war in Iran as the United States and Israel have continued bombing the country in the Middle East.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Russian tactic is to surround and then choke cities while bombing them to rubble.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trouncing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trouncing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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