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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Nearly three weeks earlier, the Ecuadoran military bombed Miguel's farm in a joint military operation with the United States.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026 -
Its military has bombed 10,000 targets, but the first thousand were likely more valuable than the tenth.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The women carried their burden with grace and defeated Notre Dame.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Adam Sykora broke a scoreless tie early in the third period and Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who is stung repeatedly or has trouble breathing should call 911.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
These scandals stung at the time, but looking back, Cyrus wouldn’t have changed a thing.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The second came when UConn stunned Duke on that last-second 3-point shot to upset the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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And the regulation shift is sure to upset certain people.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For example, 53% of CISD students mastered grade level in its 2024 STAAR scores, compared with 14% in Uplift Education, which was the lowest among the four charter schools presented on the chart.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
This is more than the one-and-done era, which Calipari mastered; or the advent of the 3-point line, which Pitino owned before everyone else.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Teddy, specifically, has also cheated death on the series several times.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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Indigenous people have been cheated through laws such as are operated in Nigeria today.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 while allowing one run over five innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers trounced the Chicago White Sox 14-2 on Thursday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Thousands of Villa fans, who had watched their team get trounced 8-0 at Chelsea three days before, delayed their early exits from the ground just to applaud Bale off the pitch when he was substituted in the 85th minute.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly's snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly’s snap shot from the high slot that beat Anaheim goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunked. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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