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 stinging
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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For Woodruff, The Green Kitchen was born out of her own healing journey after overcoming the Epstein-Barr virus and heavy metal toxicity through mindful eating and nutrient-dense foods.—
Wyles Daniel,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025 -
To help engineers manage these thoughts, IEEE Women in Engineering held a webinar on building confidence and overcoming anxiety.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At that point, the Cowboys were well on their way to their second win of the season, defeating the New York Jets 37-22.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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After defeating Colorado 35-21 on Saturday, TCU sits at 4-1 and 1-1 in the conference two games into its Big 12 slate.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Andreas Helmersen hit the bar while Patrick Berg’s stinging effort was saved by Guglielmo Vicario.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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These pretty pink jellyfish are carnivorous and have stinging tentacles that can reach up to 70 feet long.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The wind was whipping this past week at McGrath Stadium, mist in the air.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
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Video from Camiguin Island, posted by the Philippines Department of the Interior and Local Government, showed fierce winds and ocean water whipping past houses onto a residential street.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first part is about mastering the new language of work.—
Marco Argenti,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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From day one, new consultants rotate across industries, geographies, and functions, adapting on the fly and mastering unfamiliar businesses.—
Ruth Umoh,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This isn’t the first time that the couple was surrounded by cheating rumors.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
30 Sep. 2025
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She and Jon, who married in 1999, divorced in 2009, the same year as the cheating rumors.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With the Dragons trouncing Byron Nelson and Trinity, the gap between them and the rest of the competition is incredibly wide.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
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Though Roan is a total force on stage, polished and magnetic while trouncing around a set made to look like an illustrated fairytale castle, the show is not without her signature frankness.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And in 2024, the 6-seed Mets did it (beating the Phillies before losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS).—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Trump has also spoken at length about his concerns about the New York City mayoral race, criticizing the potential election of progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani, who drew national attention for beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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