skunking

verb

present participle of skunk
1
as in overcoming
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 defeating
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 cheating
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 skunking
  1. overcoming
  2. defeating
  3. cheating
  4. whipping
  5. mastering
  6. stinging
  7. bombing
  8. beating
Verb
  • That is overcoming adversity, using your gift to help others.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2026
  • For the Dream, that meant overcoming a slow start in Game 1 against the Mystics before taking control in Game 2.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • Kelce and the Chiefs dominated the early-season contest, defeating the visiting Chicago Bears, 41-10.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the most difficult fraud does not start by defeating the bank’s technology.
    — Shahen Minasyan, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • The company remains one of the world’s largest automakers and carries the legacy of Dieselgate, the emissions-cheating scandal that cost it billions of dollars in fines, settlements and other penalties.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • At the same time, as families pour more resources into preparing young people for the exams, frequent cheating scandals and test cancellations can make their investment moot.
    — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Horton said he is focused on informing fans and mastering the fundamentals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Organizations are investing in technical training for employees, convinced that mastering the latest tools is the key to survival.
    — Cuong Nguyen Cao, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • As of today, with that $7 million ticking fee to WBD shareholders kicking in October 1 and Ellison’s leaked threat to pull up HQ stakes outta the Golden State still stinging, the deal still sits in legal limbo.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • And in the Northwest, unseasonably warm temperatures combined with drier fall conditions may extend ant and stinging insect activity.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of stinging
Verb
  • Ukraine has been systematically bombing some of those refineries, severely curtailing the global supply of diesel fuel.
    — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The person in the White House has asked Ukraine to stop bombing Russian refineries and oil/gas/diesel facilities.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of bombing
Verb
  • These two faced each other 13 times during the regular season, and the Braves were the clear victor, beating the Phillies nine times.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Segebart brought a stethoscope so Scharbach could hear Autumn’s heart beating in her chest.
    — Susan Young, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of beating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

skunked
skunking
skunks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All