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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What breaks my heart is that Vermax’s cries sounded like a dog crying, a dog dying.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
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Roughly the size of a large dog and weighing more than 110 pounds (50 kilograms), the quadruped robot is designed to navigate industrial facilities that include staircases, narrow walkways, uneven surfaces, and confined spaces.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
22 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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The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
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Even the announcers are laughing at the clown Way to swing the bat.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 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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For resistance training, that may mean starting with lighter weights and mastering technique before increasing load.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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Costco has mastered this equation for years.—
Gabriel Alin Zainescu,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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The fans were cheated Sunday out of a chance to see an interesting pitching matchup between Shota Imanaga and Dylan Cease, the former Cubs farmhand and former White Sox pitcher.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
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For example, a spouse who catches their partner cheating and kills someone in the heat of emotion.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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