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
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Recent Examples of skunk
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The critters who drop in or call the space home range from monarch butterflies, ladybugs and lizards to hummingbirds and bushtits, skunks, opossums and even the occasional mountain lion.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 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
Female skunks reject unwelcome suitors by releasing their notorious spray, the site said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The critters who drop in or call the space home range from monarch butterflies, ladybugs and lizards to hummingbirds and bushtits, skunks, opossums and even the occasional mountain lion.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 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
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Pet stations and small lawns for playing are located on both the north and south ends of the resort, and dogs can always hang out on the pool deck (but can’t swim) or at the private beach.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
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Your dog's bowl should be at least a bit taller than the planter, so that your dog can easily drink from it.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The war ended after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999, eventually forcing it to pull out its troops from the territory.—
Zana Cimili,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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The suspects who bombed the office of Alex Odeh have long been identified by the FBI, and while one was imprisoned for unrelated crimes, the other two have been living comfortably in Israel for many years.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sherman Oaks Notre Dame defeated Corona Centennial 59-56.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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That particular corner was filled with pink shirts and defeated faces, and Salloi stood in front of them, fingers in the corners of his mouth, drawing his smile wide like the Joker.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The loss of Puig, who might be the most irreplaceable player in MLS, will certainly sting.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Further down the supply chain, former Army Ranger Patrick Montgomery, who runs KC Cattle Company, located outside Kansas City, Missouri, has been stung by high prices.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This meatless rendition of a Southern classic uses tomato paste and smoked paprika for depth of flavor instead of meat.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
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Note, the recipe calls for sweet paprika, not smoked.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The all-analog recording, pressed in flamenco-red 180-gram vinyl, was mastered and produced by Impex Records, whose LPs have achieved collector status among jazz connoisseurs.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
22 Feb. 2026
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During the recent craft barbecue revival, cooks first mastered their meat-smoking methods then turned to the stuff served alongside.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Educational institutions signed contracts with AI detection companies such as GPTZero, ZeroGPT and Turnitin to deter students from cheating and adopted AI policies.—
Liz Shulman,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, our friends to the North seem to be in need of a timeout after cheating allegations.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Austrian director Adrian Goiginger’s film Four Minus Three, the true story of a professional clown struck by tragedy, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Panorama section of the Berlinale.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
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There will be a clown, face painting and balloon art for the kids.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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