1
: purified lac usually prepared in thin orange or yellow flakes by heating and filtering and often bleached white
2
: a preparation of lac dissolved usually in alcohol and used chiefly as a wood filler and finish
3
a
: a composition containing shellac formerly used for making phonograph records
b
: an old 78 rpm phonograph record
shellacked; shellacking
1
: to coat or otherwise treat with shellac or a shellac varnish
2
: to defeat decisively
Examples of shellac in a Sentence
Verb
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Recent Examples on the Web
Janine Henni, People.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Lacquer is a layer of shellac mixed with alcohol that's used to coat higher-end pieces of furniture.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
But, seriously – does anyone believe the Heat’s youth benefited from the shellacking Cleveland handed them?
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Meghan is known to wear her nails in a short manicure with a pale pink polish and added two shellac shades from CND.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Lacquer is a layer of shellac mixed with alcohol that's used to coat higher-end pieces of furniture.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
But the alternative scenario of this team packing it in, going through the motions and getting shellacked down the stretch would have been concerning.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
But, seriously – does anyone believe the Heat’s youth benefited from the shellacking Cleveland handed them?
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Cite this Entry
“Shellac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shellac. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shellac
1 of 2 noun
shel·lac
shə-ˈlak 
1
: purified lac
2
: a preparation of lac dissolved in alcohol and used as a wood filler or finish
shellac
2 of 2 verb
shellacked; shellacking
: to coat or treat with shellac
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share