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
Danny Emerman, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
Utah has suffered three blowout losses over the last week and a half: a 7-1 shellacking against the Oilers, a 5-1 home ice defeat to the slumping Red Wings and an embarrassing 8-0 defeat against the Lightning on Thursday.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Per Nielsen, viewers who watched the Eagles’ shellacking of the Chiefs on Tubi were 38% more likely to be members of the coveted adults 18-34 demo than the total-game average.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Mar. 2025
But the Russian-speaking nightclub background actors lapped up Aleksei's Slavic shellacking.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Noun
The Warriors are 16-4 with him in the lineup, even after the shellacking.
—Danny Emerman, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
Utah has suffered three blowout losses over the last week and a half: a 7-1 shellacking against the Oilers, a 5-1 home ice defeat to the slumping Red Wings and an embarrassing 8-0 defeat against the Lightning on Thursday.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Per Nielsen, viewers who watched the Eagles’ shellacking of the Chiefs on Tubi were 38% more likely to be members of the coveted adults 18-34 demo than the total-game average.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Mar. 2025
But the Russian-speaking nightclub background actors lapped up Aleksei's Slavic shellacking.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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Local disaster for Dutton compounds national defeat Dutton not only lost the national contest, but was also ousted from his own seat in the northeastern state of Queensland, in a shock defeat to Labor’s Ali France.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
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Arteta did not disclose the exact nature of the problem but explained Timber, 23, was missing from the matchday squad for the weekend’s Premier League fixture due to a knock picked up in the first leg defeat against the Ligue 1 champions on Tuesday.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Rage, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss, hot flashes, itchy ears, inability to sleep, loss of libido, hair thinning, depression, weight gain, sore knees, night sweats, incontinence.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
15 May 2025
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The third and last lawyer was Kelsi Corkran, who represented individual families who are facing the loss of birthright citizenship, as well as immigrant advocacy groups.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Elle was also seen whipping her hands in a circle to the music during the awards ceremony.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
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This instant camera captures little moments and big occasions on film, which feels a little more special than whipping out an iPhone.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Release of video of the beating sparked protests and vigils across the nation and calls for change within the Memphis Police Department.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
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Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized in critical condition after the arrest and died three days later from injuries sustained during the beating.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Both those outcomes would be a major setback for those who want to see promotion and relegation at the top level of the American game.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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Transgender troops The Supreme Court dealt a setback to transgender service members on Tuesday.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Representative Mike Lawler of New York, who has hinted at ambitions for a governor bid in 2026, according to the New York Post, will need to walk a fine line between appeasing his party and not upsetting potential voters in his home state, which could put him at odds with Republicans.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
4 Jan. 2025
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These weeds require control to prevent upsetting the entire turf ecosystem.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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