Trounce
/traʊns/noun
To defeat someone decisively or punish them severely.
Did you know?Trounce is traced to a rare old English verb meaning to beat or thrash, and its eerie force survived into modern slang as a word for total defeat.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
trouncen
“to beat, thrash, or punish”
16th Century
English
trounce
“to beat soundly or chastise”
Modern English
English
trounce
“to defeat decisively”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch, extend”
Explore more surprising origins