Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

drub

04.11.2021 - By Merriam-WebsterPlay

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 11, 2021 is: drub \DRUB\ verb

1 : to beat severely

2 : to [berate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berate) critically

3 : to defeat decisively

Examples:

Morale after the game was low: the hometown team had been drubbed by the worst team in the league.

"After getting drubbed by a combined 65 points, the Warriors beat two winless teams—Chicago and Detroit—and started to learn how they need to play." — [Wes Goldberg, The Mercury News (San Jose, California), 1 Jan. 2021](https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/01/01/warriors-trail-blazers-steph-curry-kelly-oubre-james-wiseman-draymond-green/)

Did you know?

Sportswriters often use drub, but the term's history reveals that it wasn't always a sporting word. When drub was first used in English, it referred to a method of punishment that involved beating the soles of a culprit's feet with a stick or cudgel. The term was apparently brought to England in the 17th century by travelers who reported observing the punitive practice in Asia. The ultimate origin of drub is uncertain, but some etymologists have speculated that it may have evolved from the Arabic word ḍaraba, meaning "to beat."

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