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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The president bombed Iran and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026 -
All the entrances were reopened after being bombed shut, the support area by the entrance was mostly rebuilt and some tunnels are now open, according to a CNN analysis and Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Non-proliferation Studies (CNS).—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tyler, competing in the 138-pound bracket, defeated Melissa’s Jaxon Johnson in the title match via 6-1 decision.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Feb. 2026
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Eduards Tralmaks and Renars Krastenbergs scored just more than three minutes apart, and Latvia defeated Germany 4-3.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Cowboys have also reiterated that the loss of Jourdan Lewis stung them this season.—
Joseph Hoyt,
Dallas Morning News,
16 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.—
Enda Curran,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Charlie Mickel upset the gold medalist from the moguls, Cooper Woods — with the Australian bailing out of his final jump to hand Mickel the win.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
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Hanna Olsson scored, Ebba Traff Svensson stopped 29 shots, and Sweden upset Czechia 2-0 on Friday to advance to the semifinal round for the first time in 12 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They were inspired by video generation, a task already mastered by computer scientists.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Feb. 2026
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On top of that, Jackson seems to have mastered the art of dribble-penetration.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To sum up the series finale’s key moments, in the college timeline, Bree (Cat Missal), in a rage of anger after finding out that Lucy (Grace Van Patten) was the person Evan (Branden Cook) had cheated with, releases the tape of Lucy admitting to lying about being raped.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
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Ustyugov was also a part of the Russian relay team that won the gold medal in the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and was found to have cheated ahead of that season as well.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson had just trounced Michael Dukakis in the Michigan presidential primary — despite polls predicting Dukakis would win easily.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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That swing is similar to what transpired earlier in February after a special election for a state Senate seat in Texas, where the Democratic contender trounced their GOP rival and flipped a seat the party hasn't held since 1978.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Takaichi’s popularity with voters helped more than 90% of LDP candidates win their seats, including 41 out of 43 of her colleagues who overcame the stain of financial scandals to secure voter support.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
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France’s Mathis Desloges, who has taken two silvers so far, pulled his team into medal position during the third leg of the race, while Italy’s Federico Pellegrino overcame Finland in the anchor leg to take bronze on home soil in his last Olympics.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunked. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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