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
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Recent Examples of shellac
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
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
While Cincinnati’s visit to Detroit was one of the more intriguing matchups on the fall calendar, the loss of Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ subsequent 48-10 shellacking under the horns of the Vikings have made the team a liability of sorts.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
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
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
While Cincinnati’s visit to Detroit was one of the more intriguing matchups on the fall calendar, the loss of Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ subsequent 48-10 shellacking under the horns of the Vikings have made the team a liability of sorts.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellac
Verb
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Get ready for an amazing sight, as the waxing crescent moon passes in front of — and briefly occults —the blue-white stars of the Pleiades on April 19.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
19 Apr. 2026
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First, corporate profits have been waxing much faster than GDP.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Plus, similar tinted, brightening eye creams below.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
14 Apr. 2026
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Among our favorite combinations are black with white, beige with black, and cream with brown.—
René Chávez Esparza,
Glamour,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s enrichment capabilities have been reduced by bombing this year and last.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
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Lots of writers are funny, but no one ever said Toni Morrison bombed last night.—
Chris Rock,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Timberwolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit — the largest comeback in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history — behind Edwards, who had just four points, no rebounds and three assists at halftime but finished with 16 points, eight boards and seven assists.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Even after struggling out of the gate with a 4-14 start, which was partially due to having to overcome Brandon Miller’s shoulder injury in the second game of the season, Charlotte stockpiled a 44-38 mark.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Canty is one of the coaches who whips students into shape.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Johnson whipped out his phone and shared a photo of Maivia with the audience, who applauded at the likeness.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bishop acquired the property, intending to preserve the inactive cemetery as a memorial site for the military veterans buried there, some dating back to the Civil War.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Three other Syrian relatives were also killed in the Ain Mreisseh strike and were buried on Saturday in the town of al-Shuhail in Deir el-Zour, after the family split upon returning to Syria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stir miso paste into soups after removing them from the heat to preserve the probiotics.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
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For many adults, the beauty book triggered memories of a pre-social-media childhood spent cutting pictures out of magazines and pasting them into notebooks.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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In tight spaces where a straight driver can't complete a full rotation, that elbow geometry is the difference between finishing the job and abandoning it after hurting your wrist, skinning your knuckles, and questioning your life choices.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellac. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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