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
Verb
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One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026 -
That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The Spurs clinched their spot in the championship round after outlasting Oklahoma City, defeating the defending champs on the Thunder’s home floor in Game 7 on Saturday.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
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Two weeks later, Barr walked away with the GOP nomination, defeating the other major Republican competitor, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, by a 2-to-1 margin.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Greg de la Garza, Miami The Republican Party of Florida is cheating and getting away with it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
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In the course of reality TV’s 20-some-odd years golden era, a cheating scandal is almost as certain as a public screaming match in an unsuspecting local restaurant.—
Alexandra Hildreth,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
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In baseball news, Screencaps the III got his very first legitimate hit of the season by lacing one over the second baseman's head last night with winds whipping 20-25 mph off Lake Erie.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Europa-Park has surged in popularity by mastering regional destination tourism, unique cultural programming and showcasing pioneering attractions.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Something that helped Minderman take the next step was mastering the change-up, according to junior catcher Alex Abraham.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Fallout from the scandal, compounded by the Labor Party’s stinging local election losses, has tanked Starmer’s poll numbers.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Sacramento Stingers California’s capital city has a number of prominent entities represented by flying, stinging insects.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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On Monday, the Israeli military resumed bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon as peace talks for the Iran war continue.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2026
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Al Thawadi was in the Oval Office in September last year to watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu place a call to Qatar’s prime minister to apologize for bombing Doha.—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe beating and banging all the way to the checkers.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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Competitor Ross saw comparable sales jump a staggering 17%, beating expectations of 9%, and also attributed some of its outsize growth to extra stimulus.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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