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
-
The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025 -
But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Chargers got off to a hot start to the season in year two under Jim Harbaugh by defeating the Chiefs 27-21 in the NFL season opener.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Jovic lifted the trophy by defeating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s final of the WTA 500 tournament in Zapopan, Mexico.—
Manasi Pathak,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
It’s revealed that Sklar was Lori’s inspiration as a child to become an artist, only to crush that spark a dozen or so years later with stinging cruelty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Perhaps the loss, coupled with seeing Parsons thrive in Green Bay as the Packers get off to a hot start, is stinging the Cowboys’ top cornerback in Week 1.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Boaters were the last to be warned to watch the sky as a line of wind-whipping storms pushed out to sea.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Golden State usually opens games whipping the ball around and making teams uncomfortable with its aggressive style of defense.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
True freedom isn't a future milestone; it's built from day one by designing for mobility, choosing clients who respect boundaries, building self-sufficient systems, mastering asynchronous communication, and pricing for a location-independent lifestyle.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Moving forward, mastering a personal podcast could replace soft-focus biographies or wonky books as a way for politicians to increase their profiles.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There are things worse than cheating.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported an uptick in the sale of blue books as a safeguard in testing to avoid students using AI for cheating.—
Laurel Donnellan,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
West Virginia started their season with a bang, trouncing Robert Morris by a score of 45-3.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Yes, that’s Lane Kiffin adapting by becoming a basketball goal (while also adapting by beating Arkansas 41-35 with Division II Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss stepping in for Austin Simmons at QB).—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Both sides have also carried out arbitrary detentions, with SAF interrogating and beating dozens of Christians in 2024 and 2025.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share