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

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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
  • Beyond his fighting career, McGee is celebrated for his inspirational journey of overcoming drug addiction, having been sober for over two decades.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But he’ll best be known for overcoming a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, suffered in 1974.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • The Minnesota Twins are also two games back after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Friday.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • But the technology for defeating ballistic missiles has advanced significantly since the Cold War.
    — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • Princeton University dropped its over century-old Honor Code tradition which let students take their exams without supervision, after an AI cheating scandal rattled the Ivy League institution.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This led to rival Phoenix Union players calling them criminals and making accusations of cheating during a 1913 football game.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • He’s spent the last week whipping senators to support it and even enlisted former Alabama football coach Nick Saban to dial up undecided lawmakers, according to people familiar with the matter.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Hershiser has enjoyed the intellectual challenge of mastering the mechanics of covering baseball for a TV audience.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Below, a makeup pro shares advice on understanding the difference between lip contouring and lip lining, as well as tips for mastering each.
    — Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • The island’s very existence—a prosperous, democratic Chinese society integrated with the West—offers a stinging rebuke to the claim that authoritarian rule is uniquely suited to the Chinese people.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Still stinging emotionally from the recording studio shooting and assault case that both happened in New York and Shakur feared were setups, Knight told Kearse a week after Shakur’s death that Tupac had more than a financial connection to Death Row.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stinging
Verb
  • The government has intensified firefighting efforts across Sumatra and Borneo islands, deploying more than 35 aircraft including water-bombing helicopters and patrol airplanes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In 2003, Libya formally took responsibility for bombing Pan Am 103.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
Definition of bombing
Verb
  • Even had Guardiola stayed on, City would probably be playing a more direct brand of football next season, with players more suited to beating a man and covering ground than playing a thousand million passes.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • He was initially handed a 3 1/2-year sentence in 2022 when he was convicted of beating a police officer after being taken off a train for causing a disturbance.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 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.

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skunked
skunking
skunks
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Cite this Entry

“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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