LICKINGS Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for lickings

Noun

Then only one team had a worse record than their 102 defeats in 2025.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, Merz's power inside Germany has taken a blow after a string of state election defeats last month, including losses to the anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany party.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeats

Noun

At the two-week trial, three victims recounted beatings while suspended from pipes on the ceiling and the use of a device that folded their bodies in half at the waist.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Immigrants held there and their families have long described the facility as a detention center where complaints were met with beatings, meager meals and inhuman treatment.

— Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of beatings

Noun

That family history does bring with it a high level of determination to continue despite the losses and the constant threats of more attacks.

— Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Denis Bouanga scored in the 46th minute for LAFC (11-9-9), which is winless, with two losses, in four straight.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 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

As the cystic fibrosis community gathers this week in Atlanta for its largest annual gathering, Kramer-Golinkoff is hoping those patients will be a big part of the conversation, particularly after recent scientific setbacks.

— Gerry Smith, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Even major battlefield setbacks may not push the group towards compromise if its leadership believes any concessions should be part of a broader regional bargain.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of setbacks

Noun

Antica Libreria Cascianelli, a bookstore full of rare books and antiques, dates back to 1909 and occupies a former dressmaking and trimmings shop.

— Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026
Inside, polished wooden floors and marble trimmings set the tone, which is serious and stately.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of trimmings

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licking

lickings

licks

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“Lickings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickings. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lickings

noun

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