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
  • The Dolphins had plenty more opportunities after Gordon’s penalty to right the ship, overcoming the challenges that the team’s second-half belly-flop presented.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The Knicks got into the win column for the first time this season by overcoming a 13-point deficit in Tuesday’s home victory against the Detroit Pistons.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • The Rams find the end zone late in the second quarter after a sluggish start and don’t look back, defeating the Chargers 24-9 to improve to 4-4 on the season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The matchup was billed as a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won in February by defeating New England 29-10 to claim the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • In September 2022, Brandon Sanchez, a member of the show cast, documented a riding lesson in an email to management and HR, describing Garcia berating riders and whipping a Friesian horse for an extended period.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • By far, the easiest way to decongest my pores is whipping out one of the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads and giving my T-zone a very proper run-through.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Making a cup of coffee can be as simple as popping a pod into a machine or as complex as mastering a high-tech espresso machine.
    — Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Ward went on to join Ohio’s BalletMet and North Carolina Dance Theatre, mastering classical and neoclassical styles until his heart demanded a move beyond those orthodoxies.
    — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • Particularly stinging is the rout of Chinese AI and tech firms, which leader Xi Jinping has positioned as the new productive engines of the country’s modern economy.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • No more stinging your scalp in the name of a flawless blowout.
    — Tasha Nicole Smith, Allure, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of stinging
Verb
  • Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports on the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The United States began bombing Iran on February 28 with the goal of destroying the country’s nuclear program, its missile program, and even its government, only to fail spectacularly at each objective.
    — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bombing
Verb
  • At least Florida can point to Ole Miss and Texas, but the Gamecocks jumped into the top 25 after beating a very mediocre Oklahoma team.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Falcons advanced to the second round last year after beating Berlin the first round.
    — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 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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Cite this Entry

“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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