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 drubbing
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
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 June 2025
Rea allowed six runs on 10 hits in his second straight shellacking by the Reds.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Noun
After their most recent home loss on May 5, the Thunder bounced back with a 43-point shellacking of the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their second-round playoff battle.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 June 2025
Rea allowed six runs on 10 hits in his second straight shellacking by the Reds.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Verb
The Eagles proceeded to rip off 11 straight wins before their season ended with a disappointing 45-7 shellacking by eventual champion Broomfield in the semifinals.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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A day later, Fenerbahce dismissed Jose Mourinho, in part due to the defeat to Benfica in the Champions League play-offs.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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With Fritz's defeat, there are no American men left in the tournament.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Operating losses, management missteps — including a disastrous 2011 Super Bowl ad — and a rapid post-IPO decline in valuation led to the 2013 ouster of Mason as CEO.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Many animals have adapted to water scarcity, with seasonal migrations, nocturnal habits and burrowing during the worst of the heat to offset water loss.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Milwaukee mother who claimed her stepfather threw her baby from a balcony has now been charged with child abuse herself, accused of whipping her younger brothers.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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Olbinski ran to his car, while others hunkered down and braved the brutal winds and whipping sand.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Admission is free and activities include inflatables, carnival games, coloring and beating.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
When beating, whip with vigor using a fork instead of a whisk.—
Megan Zhang,
Saveur,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In this season of Platonic, Luke Macfarlane's character Charlie has a mental breakdown after bombing his dream opportunity to compete on Jeopardy!—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Trump talks God in his speech on bombing Iran.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lopes followed that setback with five straight wins.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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The vote marked a public setback for Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former Chicago Teachers Union organizer navigating the shift from movement politics to municipal governance.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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He was reminded that his career had been shaped by overcoming doubts and slights going back to high school, when he was offered the same amount of Division I football scholarships that were offered to the average sportswriter who covers him.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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But by the end, in its rush, the movie still hasn’t quite come up with a point of view on whether McCartney really got over his bust-up with Lennon with a little help from his Wings friends, or whether forming a band was ultimately incidental to overcoming any lingering separation anxiety.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Just these two technologies as examples demonstrate the vast improvements needed in the complex urban jungle for companies to engineer an avoidance strategy for both autonomous vehicles and a jury’s thrashing.—
Steve Tengler,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The Blues have since responded with a 5-1 thrashing at West Ham in Week 2, though that result appears difficult to judge given the Hammers' struggles this term.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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