trounced; trouncing

transitive verb

: to thrash or punish severely
especially : to defeat decisively

Examples of trounce in a Sentence

our candidate trounced her opponent in the election, winning with 76% of the vote
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Harris, who ran the shortest presidential campaign in history, was trounced by Trump in November, capping a remarkable comeback. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 8 July 2025 After all, value has trounced growth over the long term, even across the past century where tech revolutions have punctuated every decade. James Berman, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 Massie has trounced his past primary challengers, none of whom have been particularly strong or backed by Trump. Julia Manchester, The Hill, 28 June 2025 After making approximately a bazillion dollars at the box office in May and trouncing the career of one Mr. Tom Cruise, should any of us be surprised that Stitch, Disney’s lovable and mischievous blue alien, will return for a round two? Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for trounce

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trounce was in 1868

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trounce. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

trounce

verb
trounced; trouncing
: to thrash or punish severely
especially : to defeat thoroughly

More from Merriam-Webster on trounce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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