clobber1

[klob-er] /ˈklɒb ər/
verb (used with object), Slang.
1.
to batter severely; strike heavily:
He tried to clobber me with his club.
2.
to defeat decisively; drub; trounce.
3.
to denounce or criticize vigorously.
Origin
1940-45, Americanism; origin uncertain
Synonyms
2. whip, thrash, lick.

clobber2

[klob-er] /ˈklɒb ər/
noun, British, Australian Slang.
1.
(used with a plural verb) clothes.
Origin
1875-80; of obscure origin; cf. clobber3

clobber3

[klob-er] /ˈklɒb ər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to paint over existing decoration on (a ceramic piece).
Origin
1850-55; earlier, to mend, patch up (clothes or shoes); of obscure origin

clobber4

[klob-er] /ˈklɒb ər/
noun, verb (used without object), South Midland and Southern U.S.
1.
clabber.
Regional variation note
See clabber.
Examples from the web for clobber
  • They also hold out the tantalising possibility of fame and fortune should the program ever clobber a human champion.
  • No matter what you say or do, someone will clobber you.
  • Besides cost, the other worry about operating a garage door remotely is whether it might clobber someone standing underneath.
  • The first one won't create a new file, and the second one will always clobber an old one.
British Dictionary definitions for clobber

clobber1

/ˈklɒbə/
verb (transitive) (slang)
1.
to beat or batter
2.
to defeat utterly
3.
to criticize severely
Word Origin
C20: of unknown origin

clobber2

/ˈklɒbə/
noun
1.
(Brit, slang) personal belongings, such as clothes and accessories
Word Origin
C19: of unknown origin

clobber3

/ˈklɒbə/
verb
1.
(transitive) to paint over existing decoration on (pottery)
Word Origin
C19 (originally in the sense: to patch up): of uncertain origin; perhaps related to clobber²
Word Origin and History for clobber
v.

1941, British air force slang, probably related to bombing; possibly echoic. Related: Clobbered; clobbering. In late 19c. British slang the word principally had to do with clothing, e.g. clobber (n.) "clothes," (v.) "to dress smartly;" clobber up "to patch old clothes for reuse."

Slang definitions & phrases for clobber

clobber

verb
  1. To hit or attack very hard; bash •Appears to have been popularized by WWII RAF
  2. To defeat decisively; trounce; murder, wipe out: Rommel got clobbered at El Alamein

[1940s+; origin unknown; perhaps fr Scots clabber, ''spatter, cover with mud'']


clobber in Technology

jargon
To overwrite, usually unintentionally: "I walked off the end of the array and clobbered the stack."
Compare mung, scribble, trash, smash the stack.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-16)