shellacking 1 of 2

noun

shə-ˈla-kiŋ How to pronounce shellacking (audio)
Definition of shellackingnext
as in defeat
failure to win a contest suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shellacking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shellac
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

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 shellacking
Noun
The progressive state representative delivered a shellacking to her moderate, cash-flush opponent, Alex Vindman, in the Florida Democratic primary for Senate. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 All that said, Britons’ appetite to hand a shellacking to Starmer and the political establishment appears undimmed. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 8 May 2026
Verb
Not many losses will be as loud as the 139-96 shellacking the Thunder (61-16) handed the Lakers (50-27) at Paycom Center – the type of loss that takes some of the steam out of the Lakers’ 15-2 March surge. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026 Yin was 3-for-3 and had four RBIs in Monta Vista 32-0 shellacking over Jefferson. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
  1. defeat
  2. whipping
  3. loss
  4. bombing
  5. beating
  6. drubbing
  7. setback
  8. overcoming
Noun
  • The big man met his defeat with unusual equanimity on Wednesday, promising to work with Democrats, who most certainly have other ideas in mind.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Beating Notre Dame, then, would represent both an arrival and a defeat of what the Hurricanes perceived as an outdated system.
    — Dana ONeil, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • In September 2022, Brandon Sanchez, a member of the show cast, documented a riding lesson in an email to management and HR, describing Garcia berating riders and whipping a Friesian horse for an extended period.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • By far, the easiest way to decongest my pores is whipping out one of the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads and giving my T-zone a very proper run-through.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of whipping
Noun
  • Kansas defensive end Leroy Harris III’s assignment was to rush the passer on the most pivotal play of the Jayhawks’ 33-32 loss to UCF on Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Not all signal losses are the same Most consumer drones rely on several communication and navigation systems working together.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of loss
Verb
  • Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports on the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The United States began bombing Iran on February 28 with the goal of destroying the country’s nuclear program, its missile program, and even its government, only to fail spectacularly at each objective.
    — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bombing
Noun
  • Tech is taking another beating, dragged down by more earnings disappointment from Amazon and Intel.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The indictment describes alleged incidents involving electric shocks, simulated drowning, beatings and other abuses at Venezuelan detention facilities.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • 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
Definition of drubbing
Noun
  • The goalkeeper, who missed much of the season with an injury and endured setbacks during his recovery, has his own reason to cherish one more appearance.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the opportunity to form a coalition government, marking a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of setback
Verb
  • Third of all, overcoming two years of dread took a long time.
    — Monique John, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • About that theme of overcoming numerous challenges, from March through October.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of overcoming

Browse Nearby Words

shellacked
shellacking
shellackings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of valorous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All