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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The barriers our students face have changed over the years, but our commitment to overcoming them remains the same as always.—
Albert D. Mosley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026 -
Rather than scaling software, their approach focuses on overcoming physical bottlenecks—verified by the laws of physics—to build the foundational architecture for the broader space economy.—
Alexandra Vidyuk,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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After defeating the Netherlands, Team Algeria returned home for a short break.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
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After defeating Chwalinska in straight sets, Andreeva took time at the end of her acceptance speech to speak Russian, seemingly in defiance of the vilification due to her ethnic heritage by the tennis governing bodies and opposing players.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Welker asked Trump about his cheating claims.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
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Cooper’s girlfriend accused Cooper of cheating and threw his phone against a wall of Cooper’s apartment, according to the affidavit.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The Seahawks won those shootouts, but that was mostly due to their special teams whipping the Rams and their offense going off, especially in the Super Bowl qualifier.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Verb
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One of them is to raise the proportion of students mastering Math I – usually taken the freshman year of high school but also taken by some middle schoolers and older high school students.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
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Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Verb
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If these stinging insects are nesting in your yard, look for the things that might be attracting wasps and learn how to keep them away.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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All that said, the inability of Illinois’ political leaders to get their act together so as to put an alternative on the table in the face of Indiana’s aggressive move to poach the Bears is a stinging indictment of this state’s politicians.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Cook, who is now retired and works in the private sector, became particularly incensed when the military began bombing boats in the Caribbean in September.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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The tit-for-tat strikes were sparked by Israel bombing the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, long considered a Hezbollah stronghold, on Sunday.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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As shoppers gear up for their European summer sojourns, brands are beating the tourist rush and setting up shop across the continent with temporary seasonal stores, beach club pop-ups and limited-time activations to capture the attention and dollars of the high-spending set.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
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Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Sánchez, an ally of an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff’s ballot after beating 33 other candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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