Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🥲 A beating 🥵 A big defeat 🧵 A sewing stitch
whipping

whipping

5 5.6
A heavy defeat in a game or contest that embarrasses the losers
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪpɪŋ/
  • Informal
translation icon : paliza
  • Evil China serves as a whipping boy for both the political right and left in America.
  • an ass whipping
  • whipping boy
  • a public whipping

Examples

  • The result of that game was a 29-0 whipping the Raiders put on the 'Cats, where Linfield could only muster up four 1st downs and 40 yards of total offense.

    Blog text (15)

  • The team suffered a humiliating whipping in the final match, losing by a score of 6-1.

  • I am a true MS fan, but you are getting the whipping you deserve from Apple because they know how to launch products!

    Blog text (9)

  • It looks like Jackson, Curry, and Lee will be bloggers' whipping boys this season.

    Blog text (30)

  • In the championship game, the underdogs faced a swift whipping at the hands of the reigning champions.

  • The politician experienced a devastating whipping during the election, losing by an overwhelming margin.

Synonyms

beating
vswhipping
57 2.8

A heavy loss in a game or match

is specifically about decisive or crushing defeats rather than any loss
rout
vswhipping
12 7.2

A complete defeat in which one side loses badly

is about a decisive crushing loss but not necessarily total collapse
slaughter
vswhipping
8 4.6

A very large defeat in a contest or game

is used similarly to mean a crushing competitive defeat
whupping
vswhipping
  • Informal
8 9.1

A strong beating in a fight or a big loss in a game

is used more broadly in competitions beyond physical fights
beatdown
vswhipping
  • Slang
6 7.7

A big defeat in a game or competition

is similar but is not limited to fights and physical contexts
shellacking
vswhipping
  • Informal
5 8.4

A very big loss in a game, match, or argument

is the more general term for crushing loss without argument emphasis
whooping
vswhipping
  • Informal
5 6.6

A heavy defeat in a game or contest

is the neutral term used in formal or standard contexts
drubbing
vswhipping
4 7.9

A very complete loss in a game or contest

is identical in meaning and used the same way
thrashing
vswhipping
  • Informal
3 5.4

A heavy defeat in a game or contest

is identical in meaning and fits the same competitive contexts
trouncing
vswhipping
2 7.4

A very strong defeat, usually in a game or election, leaving the loser embarrassed

is used the same way to mean a crushing competitive loss
walloping
vswhipping
  • Informal
1 7.5

A complete beating in a game or contest

is a crushing loss but may lack emphasis on heaviness or thoroughness
licking
vswhipping
  • Informal
1 6.5

A heavy loss in a game or a serious physical beating

focuses on competitive results rather than physical violence
demolishment
vswhipping
6.5

A very large defeat of one side by another, for example in a game

focuses on defeat in contests but not literal destruction or arguments

Antonyms

success
∞ 1.0

Getting what you want after working hard

victory
∞ 1.0

A win against an opponent or a difficult problem

Compounds

whipping boy
9 8.1

A person who is blamed or punished for other people's mistakes

whipping cream
  • US
5 2.0

Cream with a lot of fat that you beat to make a light thick foam

whipping post
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A post where people are tied and others whip them in public as punishment

heavy whipping cream
  • US
1 2.7

A thick cream with a lot of fat used for whipping and cooking

light whipping cream
  • US
2.8

A dairy product with medium fat that you can beat until light and fluffy and is lighter than heavy cream

whipping top
  • Archaic
8.0

A toy top you make spin by hitting it with a short cord

whipping girl
9.9

A woman unfairly blamed or punished for other people's mistakes

How Decisive

rout
12 7.2
whipping
  • Informal
5 5.6
beating
57 2.8
defeat
275 2.5

Surface Forms

whipping singular
whippings plural

Morphology

whipping = whip (semi-transparent) = whip + ing

The sporting sense ('a whipping' = a heavy defeat) is a metaphorical extension of physical beating; learners may infer the meaning if they know 'whip' in the sense 'defeat', but it is not purely literal.

Etymology

Whipping meaning a heavy defeat comes from the same root whip, which once meant 'to beat', so people began using it for being beaten badly in a game or contest. That's why a team that suffers a whipping has been defeated decisively.