as in defeat
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shellacking
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
The mayoral recount was requested by Domingos DaRosa, who finished third in the mayoral primary to Mayor Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft — who has since dropped out after a 49-point shellacking by Wu.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Joseph Person, New York Times, 28 Oct. 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 shellacking
Noun
The Golden Flashes held off FCS Merrimack 21-17 in its home opener before taking a 62-14 shellacking at then-No. 24 Texas Tech on Sept. 6.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
The mayoral recount was requested by Domingos DaRosa, who finished third in the mayoral primary to Mayor Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft — who has since dropped out after a 49-point shellacking by Wu.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
For the record, riding the Rico Train is the right move for a team that remains in the playoff hunt despite Sunday’s 40-9 shellacking against the Buffalo Bills and a challenging second-half schedule.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 28 Oct. 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 shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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Auburn fell to 4-5 on the year after the Week 10 defeat to the Wildcats.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Although Ukraine for now is still maintaining a defense, the fall of Pokrovsk would be one of the most serious defeats Ukraine has suffered since March, when its troops were forced to retreat from Russia's Kursk region.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Strong, whipping winds are expected to continue across Jamaica throughout the night.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
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The photo of Chastain whipping off her jersey, shouting in triumph, her sinewy arms flexed, was immediately historic.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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The former Indianapolis Colts owner didn’t want anyone to miss his message following the Colts’ catastrophic end-of-season collapse that was punctuated by a 26-11 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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An art conservator who'd prefer to be immersed in detail work, Sarah is bombing as the host of a dinner party where her entrepreneur husband (Tom Riley) hopes to impress an obnoxious prospective investor (Tom Goodman-Hill) when a literal explosive goes off in her neighborhood.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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Trump has often expressed verbal frustration with Putin, accusing him of making positive diplomatic noises before bombing Ukrainian civilians again, but until now had avoided taking direct action.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But experiences similar to what Khaled shared—including extended kneeling, beatings, attacks by military dogs, and a lack of medical care—have been reported by human-rights groups, the United Nations, and news organizations.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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They’re designed to stabilize and regulate the heart’s beating, not to inform others of the heart’s catastrophic arrest.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The mighty Mariners, who mashed five solo home runs at raucous T-Mobile Park, clinched their title by drubbing Major League Baseball’s doormat, aka the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hurricane Melissa is a major setback for the country’s all-important tourism industry.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
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Yet, despite this military setback, the militia in Lebanon shows no intention of relinquishing its weapons.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Key challenges to commercialization include creating a material that is both safe and highly conductive and overcoming the high costs of mass production.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Castellani and Muritiba spoke about how the United States can learn from Brazil and their country’s history of overcoming fascism.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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