as in defeat
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shellacking
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
Roosevelt has scored 88 points in its last two games, including a 40-22 shellacking of 4A Ponderosa.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Noun
Following a two-week international break, Pellegrino started at Portland last week and scored twice more in a 4-0 shellacking that gave SDFC the Western Conference title.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
Roosevelt has scored 88 points in its last two games, including a 40-22 shellacking of 4A Ponderosa.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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Jaquez had the best performance off the Heat’s bench, finishing the defeat with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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There is no defeat quite like sitting down for a gaming session after a 10-hour workday, hoping to get your woes out by winning some battles, but your ancient monitor decides to act up.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon’s and Earth’s gravity, making a figure 8 after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon and Earth’s gravity, making a figure eight after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That’s high praise from one who has coached four Hall of Famers and several more who are destined to be so, but this team broke an eight-year championship drought last season and, despite the loss of superstar Paige Bueckers, didn’t skip a beat this year.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
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But the four losses to egregious tankers were inexcusable.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The next day, the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, launching the country into war.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Human Rights Watch has said bombing them would constitute a war crime.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then, to add insult to injury, the Cavaliers carried a 109-87 lead into the fourth when Cleveland’s Evan Mobley ended the third quarter with a successful 32-foot buzzer-beating heave.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2026
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He and Flores also are accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mighty Mariners, who mashed five solo home runs at raucous T-Mobile Park, clinched their title by drubbing Major League Baseball’s doormat, aka the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With strong leadership and direction, what first appears as setbacks can in fact be a jumping-off point for invention and growth.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
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In revisiting Lehmann’s story, Strager highlights that Lehmann’s legacy is one of resilience and perseverance—proof that early setbacks do not define a person and that brilliance can flourish, even later in life.—
Carol Sutton Lewis,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That would involve changing some state laws, persuading housing lenders to be more accommodating and overcoming resistance from construction unions.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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There is power in prevention, which makes overcoming these obstacles crucial.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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