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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lickings
Noun
-
Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff homer, another two-run shot and a double for the Rangers, who have lost six of nine with their back-to-back defeats at Dodger Stadium.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026 -
Check out the vibes following defeats.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Schiller can't forget the sick soundtrack that came with his daily beatings.—
Troy Roberts,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Examples of petty beatings also abound, like footage from December showing two guys in Leeds, UK tossing a delivery robot into a bush, or video of one bot cracked open and left for dead on a Los Angeles sidewalk.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But many in the film industry believe a merger will mean extensive job losses and a consolidation of power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Khong is no stranger to feeding life’s great losses and unknowables through the processing plant of fiction.—
Mariella Rudi,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In September, a photo showing an enslaved man's scarred back from whippings was removed from a national monument in Georgia.—
Aida Mogos,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Our own editors have run the gamut of unexpected setbacks abroad, including getting mugged and pickpocketed, as well as having their passports stolen.—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
-
To combat such setbacks, the Vacaville Islamic Center would probably have to pursue a federal lawsuit — a daunting prospect for an immigrant-heavy congregation with limited resources.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Organized by the curatorial fellow Yifu Liu, the show has trimmings in just about every frame.—
Emilia Petrarca,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
And finally, Dayne’s Craft Barbecue (west of Fort Worth in Aledo) is also noted in the Top 50 BBQ list for their black bark brisket and brisket trimmings burger.—
Ella Gonzales
March 23,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Lickings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickings. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
