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
  • That included overcoming injuries to Jose Ramirez, Angel Martínez and rookie Chase DeLauter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The researchers found that the material could undergo helicity-independent magnetization reversal, overcoming a major constraint of earlier approaches.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 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
  • Now there seems to be a petty attempt to call out cheating when no cheating took place.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Around this time, Kingsolver was accused of cheating in a regional essay contest.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 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
  • In Seattle, district physical education manager Lori Dunn sees learning to ride a bike as more than simply mastering a recreational skill.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Extending lifespan dramatically would require mastering many of them simultaneously.
    — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 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.

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skunked
skunking
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Cite this Entry

“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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