lickings

noun

plural of licking
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
  1. defeats
  2. beatings
  3. losses
  4. whippings
  5. setbacks
  6. trimmings
Noun
  • In taking the loss, Roupp is tied with the Baltimore Orioles’ Shane Baz and the Cleveland Guardians’ Tanner Bibee for the most defeats (12) in the majors.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Paul Taylor Sunderland Sunderland’s pre-season has gradually improved, as defeats to Liverpool and Leeds have given way to encouraging performances, and wins, against Wrexham and Lens.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeats
Noun
  • Sweetwater Police, which investigated the incidents, learned about the beatings on April 22, when an officer was called to Jackson South Medical Center in reference to a hazing incident.
    — Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Michael, who would later split from his father’s control, accused him of severe childhood emotional and physical abuse, including beatings with iron cords.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of beatings
Noun
  • With the economy showing job losses, many professionals are looking to start businesses.
    — Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The National Institute of Building Sciences estimates that a dollar spent on hazard mitigation returns about $6 in avoided losses.
    — Ravi S. Bhalla, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of losses
Noun
  • Reynolds cites the early-18th-century diary of William Byrd II, who read Homer in the morning and administered whippings to refractory slaves in the afternoon.
    — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • There was physical violence as well — whippings, beatings, even bricks thrown.
    — Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Definition of whippings
Noun
  • But the party has recently suffered setbacks, losing a string of special elections, including one in June that brought now- Prime Minister Andy Burnham to power.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Outline measures to reduce impacts on neighboring property owners and communities, including noise mitigation, light controls, setbacks, traffic improvements, emergency response coordination and other community protection measures.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of setbacks
Noun
  • The trimmings left behind can provide free nutrients and get your grass growing in the right direction—full and lush with blades for days.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 30 July 2026
  • The vertical videos are simply trimmings of existing HBO Max programming rendered into a new presentation ratio to push users toward long form consumption.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Definition of trimmings
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Lickings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickings. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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