as in defeats
failure to win a contest
our team took a licking last night, but we'll get them next time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lickings
Noun
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Crying babies in hippie attire accompany John’s discontent with the counterculture’s retreat from politics after multiple defeats in the ’70s.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026 -
The defeats have been stinging.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Each day, they are filled with one-dimensional stories of beatings, stabbing and shootings — all sad accounts of a city in decline.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
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Trips to detention hearings brought beatings.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Noun
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Until late in the season, Indiana had more losses than any other program in college football history.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
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Laurel won’t have a Triple Crown contender to offset losses.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
Noun
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There was physical violence as well — whippings, beatings, even bricks thrown.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Michael’s tendency to speak up earned him frequent whippings with his father’s belt.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Markets have soared and oil prices have dropped over the last week, however, amid anticipation that a deal could be close after weeks of talks and occasional setbacks.—
Peter Nicholas,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
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Following the local election setbacks, the Prime Minister has faced calls to resign or to set a timetable to vacate his leadership position, including from members of his own Labour Party.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
10 May 2026
Noun
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People who compost their food scraps and yard trimmings can contribute to reducing landfill methane emissions; improving soil health; and sequestering carbon, according to the EPA.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Organized by the curatorial fellow Yifu Liu, the show has trimmings in just about every frame.—
Emilia Petrarca,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lickings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickings. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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