as in dog
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bomb
to defeat by a large margin
we ended up skunking them, as our goalie was able to prevent the other team from scoring a single goal
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to defeat
to achieve a victory over
our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to sting
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
unwilling to let suppliers skunk him, the restaurant owner inspected every shipment before signing off on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of skunk
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Fleas are carried constantly into your yard by wildlife that passes through, such as skunks, raccoons, opossums, mice, and deer, says Benson.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Larry Light, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The party got skunked in every battleground state and lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Noun
Things start with dead skunks in a pool and only get (far, far) worse from there.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Fleas are carried constantly into your yard by wildlife that passes through, such as skunks, raccoons, opossums, mice, and deer, says Benson.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
Verb
Long-term, however, the S&P 500 has skunked the world index, and shows very sign of continuing to do so.
—Larry Light, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The party got skunked in every battleground state and lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunk
Noun
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The parasite has the cattle and dairy industry on edge, but in Mexico, screwworm has also been found in bears, pigs, goats, and even dogs and cats.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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Marseille said the dog was always with her sister or nephew.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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It was used in bombing missions during the current conflict between the US and Iran.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
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Additionally, Russia has ramped up attacks on civilian centers usually considered off-limits in wartime, such as a 1,000-year-old cathedral and monastery complex in Kyiv that was bombed Sunday night, killing three people.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Verb
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And the resounding manner of Burnham’s win – comprehensively defeating Reform weeks after Labour was routed in local elections – gives him considerable momentum too.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
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Scotland, which defeated Haiti 1-0 on the same field last Friday, likely would need to beat or draw Brazil in its group-stage finale in Miami to qualify for the Round of 32.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Nothing stings quite like being steps from getting your credit card out to make a glorious purchase, and finding that your promo code isn’t working.—
Hannah Chubb,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
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Ants, mosquitoes, ticks, termites, stinging insects, and house flies are the most common and costly summer pests.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Hints at the canonical Big Daddies of existential clown float through the air — Beckett would recognize this pair, and so would Jean Genet.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
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The comments section is filled with college football fans from all over the country calling the university's athletic department a bunch of clowns and hypocrites, but one Big 12 rival, the TCU Horned Frogs, put out a statement of their own in response to Tech's video.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Three of the 10 winners are puros—smokes whose binder, wrapper, and filler are grown in a single country—and each of them offers a focused creative statement, rather than complexity for complexity’s sake.—
Richard Carleton Hacker,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
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The fire prompted a shelter-in-place order and smoke advisory Wednesday due to concerns about ammonia and heavy smoke.—
Sydney Barragan,
Daily News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The flipping technique for his classic, beautifully molten-on-the-inside Spanish tortilla takes a good amount of practice to master.—
General Manager,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Yet, the Knicks mastered those qualities to ensure one of the NBA’s biggest markets could become great again.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Jay Cooke, who had once been lionized for his role in financing the Union victory, was attacked in the press and accused of cheating ordinary Americans out of their savings.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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The reunion comes 15 years after the couple divorced amid rumors of a cheating scandal.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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