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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More Than One Way to Survive in Business Entrepreneurs have been positioned to accept that overcoming the competition is the only way to succeed in business, but there may be other paths forward.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
1 May 2026 -
The Blackbeard project aims to achieve all this while overcoming the obstacles that have hindered previous attempts at hypersonic weaponry.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Swalwell won his congressional race, defeating a 40-year incumbent more than double his age, and grew his national profile by connecting with young voters on social media.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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In all, according to a tally from AdImpact, nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads this year in Indiana state senate races, the bulk of it aimed at defeating the Republicans who voted against the redrawn congressional maps.—
Tamara Keith,
NPR,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Fred, their oldest surviving child, was suspended from Princeton for cheating, then caught embezzling from his Seattle employer to feed, Church suspected, a gambling habit.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Court documents state the Matthews were there to get the children after a fight between Ashley and Pouncey over cheating.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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If the frosting seems soft and dense, give it a chill before whipping again.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
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Later that evening, three rounds of hail inundated the house, followed by two bouts of whipping winds.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Across industries — creative, legal, financial, technical — the systems people like myself spent careers mastering are being rewritten.—
Matti Yahav,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Regardless of their final career path, every intern's first assignment is learning to be a docent, mastering the art of guiding visitors on a tour.—
La'Tasha Givens,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Captain Ethan Ampadu is one of the survivors of that stinging 2024 play-off final defeat.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Trump was the butt of several stinging jokes made by both President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, the president’s not only banning Iran but also bombing it, to the tune of a $25-billion war.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli military personnel that the terms of the ceasefire with Lebanon allow Israel to continue bombing throughout the country.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The sun was beating down on me.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The Wild’s penalty-killers pounced, starting a rush the other way that ended with Marcus Foligno beating Scott Wedgewood for a 5-4 Wild lead — Minnesota’s third straight goal and its third of the period.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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