as in to wax
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
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Recent Examples of shellac
Slide into a booth and prepare for your taste buds to dance over crusty rosemary and focaccia shellacked with tomato and sea urchin butter, and flaky halibut adorned with marigolds and tangy mushrooms.
—
Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
While Cincinnati’s visit to Detroit was one of the more intriguing matchups on the fall calendar, the loss of Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ subsequent 48-10 shellacking under the horns of the Vikings have made the team a liability of sorts.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Robert Morris opened the campaign with a 45-3 loss at West Virginia before taking a 56-17 shellacking at Youngstown State.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
This game was much closer than the 41-17 shellacking the Ravens gave the Browns back in Week 2.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025
While Cincinnati’s visit to Detroit was one of the more intriguing matchups on the fall calendar, the loss of Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ subsequent 48-10 shellacking under the horns of the Vikings have made the team a liability of sorts.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Robert Morris opened the campaign with a 45-3 loss at West Virginia before taking a 56-17 shellacking at Youngstown State.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shellac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellac
Verb
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However, before Kemper could wax poetic about the importance of a film's score, the stars were handed notes from the audience.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
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Though when he’s finally seen in full evil flight, the actor is arguably allowed to wax a little too cute about it.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Add the olive oil, a little at a time, while continuing to cream the cheese into the mixture.—
Nancy Vienneau,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
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Next, cream the butter and sugar in a mixer, about three minutes on medium speed.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The United States went on high alert last June over concerns of retaliation from Tehran, after the United States and Israel bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The president's endorsement didn't clear the GOP crowded field to replace Greene — some observers cast that as a sign of weakness — but Fuller easily overcame other Republican contenders.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
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Next, despite a close first half, Kansas State couldn’t overcome BYU and star freshman AJ Dybansta, falling to the Cougars 105-91 to finish off a disappointing season.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Drizzle it into balsamic vinaigrette, or take the plunge and whip it into caramel pots de crème.—
Kristen Hartke,
Saveur,
12 Mar. 2026
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The high waist bunched a little when seated, but it was hardly cause for breaking focus when attempting an inversion (the whipping wind, however, was another story).—
Talia Abbas,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To be buried with a drum, perhaps, gave one an advantage in the afterlife.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
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The same process happened with the government’s attempt to dismantle the Palestinian Authority in order to kill and bury the hope for Palestinian self-determination.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now that Patterson has his way, the lines intersect with the horizontal last name that’s pasted on the front of the helmet and are one example of a practical change Patterson has made to improve fundamental technique and communication on the defense.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
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Users can input a topic, upload a PDF or DOCX file, or paste a link.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In tight spaces where a straight driver can't complete a full rotation, that elbow geometry is the difference between finishing the job and abandoning it after hurting your wrist, skinning your knuckles, and questioning your life choices.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
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Mom skinned it, went to the pound to find a slightly smaller dog, and stitched the old dog’s skin over the new dog.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellac. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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