1
as in bombed
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
Relevance
2
as in defeated
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 stung
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunked
Verb
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After being heavily bombed in WWII, Birmingham is building a better future out of concrete and steel.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025 -
Set in Britain in 1953, the series will follow a new generation of the Shelby family as Birmingham tries to build a better future out of concrete and steel after being heavily bombed in WWII.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a stunner, Hollis defeated Morgan Pope to win Part 3 of the three-part HOH competition.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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Viktor Hovland, who had defeated Henley and Scheffler alongside teammate Robert MacIntyre with a 1-up score, was ruled out of the four-ball due to a neck injury.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last year’s finals loss stung because the Lynx came so close.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Congressional Democrats feel stung by the mass layoffs and program cuts that followed the last stopgap spending deal in March.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The losses where they were trounced on the ground and unable to run are well documented, including against Georgia Tech this season and at Kansas in 2024.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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While Benfica made a winning start and trounced local rivals Sporting 3-0 in December 2000, Mourinho’s position became precarious after Joao Vale e Azevedo, who had appointed him, was replaced as president by Manuel Vilarinho.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With 2020’s roguelike Hades, Supergiant Games mastered the hypnotic allure of the live-die-repeat cycle by making every attempt have meaning.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Bryant formed one of the elite QB/WR duos with Tony Romo, as the two mastered the back shoulder fade.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Around the time that the reunion aired, however, allegations that Pepe cheated began to circulate.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hakeem actually whipped his members to shut the government down.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
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Folding whipped topping gently into the pudding mixture keeps the filling fluffy and mousse-like.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Married Matt and Amber Barnett overcame a little bit of jealousy and a lot of credit card debt to cultivate a stable relationship.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Mookie Betts overcame his past October struggles and was their steadiest presence.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Skunked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunked. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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