clobber

1 of 2

noun

clob·​ber ˈklä-bər How to pronounce clobber (audio)
Synonyms of clobbernext
British slang
: clothes sense 1

clobber

2 of 2

verb

clobbered; clobbering ˈklä-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce clobber (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to pound mercilessly
also : to hit with force
clobber a home run
2
a
: to defeat overwhelmingly
b
: to have a strongly negative impact on
businesses clobbered by the recession
c
: to criticize harshly

Synonyms of clobber

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Noun

Verb

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Examples of clobber in a Sentence

Noun Just dump your clobber anywhere. still wearing the same clobber he wore as an undergrad at Cambridge Verb If you say anything I'll clobber you. We clobbered them in our last game. Businesses are being clobbered by the bad economy.
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.
Noun
He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and boots and his black-tie clobber was in a car miles away in Marseilles. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 25 May 2025 Because this amount was not indexed to inflation, the AMT clobbers more people each year. — Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Dec. 2017
Verb
The best team in hockey was clobbered. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026 Within two minutes, it got clobbered by a 3-pound smallie. — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for clobber

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clobber was in 1879

Rhymes for clobber

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Browse Nearby Words

clob
clobber
clobberer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clobber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clobber. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

clobber

verb
clob·​ber
ˈkläb-ər
1
: to hit with force
2
: to defeat by a wide margin

More from Merriam-Webster on clobber

Nglish: Translation of clobber for Spanish Speakers

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