skunk 1 of 2

noun

ˈskəŋk How to pronounce skunk (audio)
Definition of skunknext
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

skunk

2 of 2

verb

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

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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

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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
Noun
Rabies is often found in bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected. — Kelli Arseneau, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Hence, bright lights and sprays of water will make skunks want to flee your yard. — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 1 July 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
  1. dog
  2. bomb
  3. defeat
  4. sting
  5. clown
  6. smoke
  7. master
  8. cheat
Noun
  • Sit, who went by the first name Tony, operated Happy K9 Academy and the dogs were in his care when they were kept in crates in a hot van and died, the district attorney’s office said.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 11 July 2026
  • When an Instagram video with nearly 100 million views likened his appearance to a green onion — its wiry roots standing in as his hair — Haaland responded in the comments with a side-eyeing dog GIF.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Definition of dog
Verb
  • Things had improved since then, before spilling out into the open late last year when Saudi Arabia bombed a port in Yemen targeting a weapons shipment from the UAE.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
  • The administration has since tried to bomb its way out of this war, but without the ability to hold territory, the United States is now merely depleting its stocks of expensive ordnance to little strategic effect.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of bomb
Verb
  • Michelin said defeating the current version of the measure is California Retailers Association’s top priority of all the bills that are still pending in the Legislature.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2026
  • The Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-6 at Globe Life Field on Thursday night to reclaim first place in the American League West.
    — Cal Phillips Updated July 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • Macron hasn’t been the only European leader stung by pension politics either.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
  • In the Mark Dolan Show interview and in a stinging essay for the Daily Mail, Griffiths accused the king’s son of making false allegations against her.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of sting
Noun
  • Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • The group demonstrated near the Washington Monument and was met by a few counter protestors, one of which played clown music throughout the majority of the demonstration.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of clown
Verb
  • The actors had to learn how to smoke cigarettes the way people did in the 1920s.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • This year’s celebration comes on the heels of a late June warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that released extraordinary amounts of soot and smoke across the county, on par with pollution generated by the previous year’s wildfires.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of smoke
Verb
  • Specialists are now studying the turbine blades to determine how they were manufactured and whether Russia has mastered single-crystal casting for cruise missile propulsion.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
  • Ahead, Sharkey shares more advice for mastering boho style, along with her product recommendations that check flower crowns at the door.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 11 July 2026
Definition of master
Verb
  • The American grandmaster shed some light on his mindset following Kramnik’s cheating accusations in a livestream prior to his death, according to the Associated Press.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • Trump has also continued to claim Democrats are trying to rig or cheat in the upcoming election, remarks that have faced rebukes from members of his own party.
    — Ana Ceballos Follow, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of cheat

Browse Nearby Words

skull sessions
skunk
skunked
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Cite this Entry

“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on skunk

Nglish: Translation of skunk for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about skunk

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