Trounce

There appears to be no sugar coating of the meaning of the word my finger fell on in the dictionary. 
“Trounce.”  Ok, the Oxford English Dictionary said it had seven meanings, two of which were obsolete.  But when I went to find those meanings, it wanted me to pay at that point.  I sorta lost interest in pursuing that line at that point.  It had told me its fist use was in the mid-1500s.  That was confirmed elsewhere.
Merriam-Webster gave some synonyms of trounce.  I was keen to see what it said because one source said to trounce was to defeat.  Well yes  but that is not strong enough.  Marriam-Websters word annihilate seems closer to what I imagine trounce to mean.  It also lists synonyms like rout, drub and thrash.  I really like that it lists “clobber” as a synonym.
I have trouble with overwhelm.  I mean no one ever says they are whelmed.  Only overwhelmed.  I don’t get it.
I remember getting trounced at squash.  I was playing in an age division and I had to play this guy that was way good.  So good really he was a shot to win the open category.  To play in that he had to beat me in 10 minutes so he could play the game in the open competition scheduled at the same time.  He beat me comfortably in the time needed.  Did he win the Open competition?  I don’t know and don’t care really.
As a team we were trounced by cricketers from another city.  It was a friendly and we went down to play them.  We just could not get them out.  Their first six players (I think it was) retired at 30.  We were trounced.
I do not really have examples of me trouncing others as it is not the way I do it.  I try to keep things interesting for us both.  If I know I can overwhelm another then I play not to lose and they have to win.
When I can I also like to give another a head start.  I used to do this playing someone at table tennis.  They would start on 7 and it was the first to reach 11.  They felt they were a chance, and I had to work.
In matters of life and death I like to and will trounce.  Trouncing to me leaves no doubt as to the result.  For me in things that matter doubt is unwelcome.