as in to wax
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of shellac
The result was a dispiriting 5-1 shellacking at the hands of a deeply mid Seattle Kraken side.
—
Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Instead, the union got shellacked.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium* The Colts, before collapsing, arguably had their best game of their season in the opener against the Dolphins, a 33-8 shellacking in Indiana.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Slide into a booth and prepare for your taste buds to dance over crusty rosemary and focaccia shellacked with tomato and sea urchin butter, and flaky halibut adorned with marigolds and tangy mushrooms.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Instead, the union got shellacked.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium* The Colts, before collapsing, arguably had their best game of their season in the opener against the Dolphins, a 33-8 shellacking in Indiana.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Slide into a booth and prepare for your taste buds to dance over crusty rosemary and focaccia shellacked with tomato and sea urchin butter, and flaky halibut adorned with marigolds and tangy mushrooms.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellac
Verb
-
On June 16, a thin waxing crescent moon joins the evening planet trio and sits about 3 degrees above and slightly to the left of Mercury and about 5 degrees to the right and slightly below Jupiter.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
-
Wednesday, June 17After sunset in the west, a 5%-lit waxing crescent moon will be positioned between Jupiter and Mercury, with Venus shining above.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash From the same line as the body cream Bieber and Moore use, the Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash is worthy of a spot in your beauty routine.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
-
Occasionally, the butter in quickbreads is creamed (whipped with sugar until fluffy) but more often, it’s melted or oil is used in its place.—
Carolynn Carreño,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
The year was anything but easy for Divac, though, with NATO beginning to bomb his native Serbia late in the season.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
-
Oil prices rose around 3% after the Pentagon said the United States bombed Iranian military sites, retaliation for Tehran's shooting down of an American drone.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Everyone has a personal obstacle, but not everyone can overcome and survive those obstacles.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
Over time, however, your pancreas may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The wind whipped her face and her little legs stretched higher and higher, pulling her into orbit.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Last month, as a steady, pre-rainy season wind whipped off the Atlantic Ocean, the sounds of samba, morna and jazz filled the streets.—
Ricci Shryock,
NPR,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Keep the language concrete and avoid burying the point under explanation.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
This is a racist absurdity in addition to being an impossible read of the Constitution, which is perhaps why the Roberts Court has buried it under so many layers of obfuscation.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
With buckets of glue in hand, families and friends have taken to pasting images of the victims across the city to make sure they’re not forgotten.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
-
New York beat San Antonio in the NBA Cup final in December, narrowly lost at San Antonio 134-132 on New Year’s Eve, and then pasted the Spurs 114-89 in early March — San Antonio’s worst loss of the season.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
One after another, Travis Street Hospitality restaurants have taught Dallas that there’s more than one way to skin an andouillette.—
Claudia Alarcón,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
All of the carcasses that washed ashore had been skinned, Cole said, with some missing their front paws.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellac. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
