as in dog
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 skunk
Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 9 Mar. 2026
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has recorded 38 winter cases over the last five years, with the vast majority found in skunks.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025
Sam had a sudden flash of some decades old cartoon, an anthropomorphized rabbit or skunk with its jaw dropped, a foghorn like awooga accompanying the lolling of its cartoonishly long tongue.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Noun
Raccoons, skunks, crows, and moles feed on lawn grubs.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 9 Mar. 2026
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has recorded 38 winter cases over the last five years, with the vast majority found in skunks.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
Sam had a sudden flash of some decades old cartoon, an anthropomorphized rabbit or skunk with its jaw dropped, a foghorn like awooga accompanying the lolling of its cartoonishly long tongue.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunk
Noun
-
Milton residents are voicing safety concerns in the Blue Hills Reservation after Massachusetts State Police say a man stabbed a dog that allegedly attacked him.—
Samantha Chaney,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Residents in Charlotte and unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg County are required to purchase a license for dogs and cats over 4 months old.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Residents say the Israelis have prevented residents — most of whom work in agriculture — from accessing their farmland near the border; other fields were bombed with white phosphorous, Lebanese authorities said, destroying vegetation and thousands of trees.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The president set the deadline in a Truth Social post on Sunday, after issuing a profane message renewing threats to bomb key Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not open the strait –– a chokepoint in the global energy trade.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Clippers defeated the Warriors 114-101 in their last matchup on March 3.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 Monday night for the team's second NCAA title in school history and the first since 1989.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anthropic leaks its code; Mercor stung by data breach.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Santos stung a volley from outside the box midway through the second half after juggling the ball with her knee, but Silkowitz dived to her right to push the ball wide of the post.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Research shows that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking in movies are more interested in taking up smoking.—
Marie Helweg-Larsen,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
As investigators searched the area with the bamboo again, Horner smoked cigarettes and seemed relaxed, making small talk about his favorite foods, work schedules and the weather.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If ever mastered, this could help things like submarines navigate freely underwater without ever having to surface.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Not every skill needs to be mastered from day one.—
Karla Vallecillo,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The chat room was on fire, because Magnus Carlsen had lost to the kid—Hans Niemann—and then implied that Hans had cheated.—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Most people would agree that cheating and planning a school shooting are hardly equal offenses, and Borgli doesn't totally stick the landing by sweeping Emma's past impulses under the rug.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Miller’s traveling salesman is here something of a sad clown running out of gas.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Tasked to play the foil to McKellen’s clown, Coel comes off stiff.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
