as in defeat
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shellacking
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Without starting quarterback Bryce Young (ankle), Carolina looked overmatched by the Bills in the 31-point shellacking at home.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Noun
Perhaps the good vibes helped his teammates in their most dominant win of the season, the 10-2 shellacking of the Blueshirts.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Without starting quarterback Bryce Young (ankle), Carolina looked overmatched by the Bills in the 31-point shellacking at home.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium* The Colts, before collapsing, arguably had their best game of their season in the opener against the Dolphins, a 33-8 shellacking in Indiana.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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The Highlanders, who suffered a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Fontana Kaiser on Wednesday in the CIF Southern California Division 3 Regional semifinals, graduate just four seniors.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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Nungurey saw a team defense that connected at crucial moments and managed to stave off defeat for one more inning and force extra innings against junior Redwood pitching ace Jackie Ramirez in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional Division II playoffs Wednesday.—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The Seahawks won those shootouts, but that was mostly due to their special teams whipping the Rams and their offense going off, especially in the Super Bowl qualifier.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The Angels scored only five runs in their first five losses to the Dodgers, and Rivero – a 27-year-old journeyman backup catcher – drove in six all by himself on Sunday.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
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If dangerous logistics and supply runs can be achieved using cheap autonomous electric vehicles, the costs of losses become more acceptable.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Verb
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On Monday, the Israeli military resumed bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon as peace talks for the Iran war continue.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2026
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Al Thawadi was in the Oval Office in September last year to watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu place a call to Qatar’s prime minister to apologize for bombing Doha.—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
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For me, writing means trying to get close enough to each character to feel their heart beating, which challenges the first level, because human beings are much more complex and contradictory than sociological simplifications.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
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Old newspaper articles shown in the documentary report beatings, violent deaths and brandings at Pennhurst, as well as a drowning.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The mighty Mariners, who mashed five solo home runs at raucous T-Mobile Park, clinched their title by drubbing Major League Baseball’s doormat, aka the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Putin has increasingly faced setbacks on the battlefield as a Ukrainian drone strike campaign disrupts critical logistics routes and public support at home wanes.—
Jane Lytvynenko,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
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One of the most frightening setbacks came when Asher developed an MRSA bloodstream infection that originated in his port — the device connected to his heart that allows doctors to administer treatment.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
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One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
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That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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