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
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 Synonyms for skunked
Verb
-
Tehran has not allowed the IAEA access to its nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States during a 12-day war in June 2025, according to a confidential IAEA report circulated to member states and seen by AP in February.
-
Unfortunately, the mall was bombed three weeks ago in the early morning hours and destroyed by a missile, shuttering the business.
Verb
-
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper each homered for the second straight game and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 6-2 on Sunday night.
-
Atlanta defeated Indiana 108-101 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, with Reese posting 21 points and 11 rebounds and Clark scoring 26 points in the loss.
Verb
-
While the driver was unharmed, per the station, CBS affiliate KFDM-TV in Beaumont said its photographer was stung once while at the scene, according to KBTX.
-
Drivers stung by high gas prices have enjoyed some welcome relief over recent weeks, however, even as the impact of the Iran war continues to choke off oil supply.
Verb
-
House of the Dragon’s season-three premiere upsets the conventional wisdom.
-
Both were made to sit outside the gates, deeply upsetting the family who mourned within.
Verb
-
Industrial robots have mastered many repetitive tasks, but preparing sashimi remains a surprisingly difficult challenge.
-
In 1971, the company introduced its first cup noodles – instant noodles that came in a disposable container, accompanied by a fork for those who hadn’t mastered chopsticks.
Verb
-
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.
-
Looking the other way A 2020 study of 840 undergraduate college students found that 32% of them had cheated in some way on an exam.
Verb
-
That’s where three University of Iowa economists — Robert Forsythe, George Neumann and Forrest Nelson — met for food and beers and kvetching about just how badly the polls had missed the mark on the Michigan Democratic primary the day before, when Jesse Jackson absolutely trounced Michael Dukakis.
-
Germany did rout newcomer Curacao 7-1, Qatar was trounced 6-0 by Canada, and Haiti was eliminated after two matches.
Verb
-
In a rematch of the WNBA’s first-ever game from June 21, 1997, the Sparks overcame a 17-point Liberty lead, all while celebrating the inaugural matchup — and iconic alumni — that changed women’s sports forever.
-
Leviatán were arguably considered underdogs in all these matches, but overcame the odds to make the final and set up a rematch against Paper Rex.
Cite this Entry
“Skunked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunked. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
