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
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Without starting quarterback Bryce Young (ankle), Carolina looked overmatched by the Bills in the 31-point shellacking at home.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 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
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Noun
Perhaps the good vibes helped his teammates in their most dominant win of the season, the 10-2 shellacking of the Blueshirts.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Without starting quarterback Bryce Young (ankle), Carolina looked overmatched by the Bills in the 31-point shellacking at home.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium* The Colts, before collapsing, arguably had their best game of their season in the opener against the Dolphins, a 33-8 shellacking in Indiana.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 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
See All Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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Burton finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the first defeat for Golden State (2-1).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
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On Wednesday, his son’s header was responsible for the Quakes’ first defeat since a 1-0 home loss to these Sounders on March 15.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Now imagine seeing like half a dozen road-going glizzies whipping around one of the most iconic tracks in all of motorsports.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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It was delivered by the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, whose torso uncorked in a fit of frustration that sent his right elbow whipping toward Reid’s windpipe like a torpedo bat flying through the strike zone.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The index is back in the green after steep losses at the end of last week.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Later this spring, the 1 X Vitahealth Medi Spa will open and offer things like hormone balancing, weight loss, nutritional consulting, and custom IV therapies.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Well this immigrant grandma never murdered 180 schoolgirls in Iran by bombing them to pieces.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2026
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This can and should be done without bombing the plant.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
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And then there were the beatings.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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The ex-death row inmate was first convicted and sentenced to death in 1998 after being found guilty of ordering the fatal beating of his boss, Barry Van Treese, per CNN.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
15 May 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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Consequently, any push for digital sovereignty that affects a large number of employees must be prepared to deal with setbacks and pushback.—
Kevin Korte,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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The lawsuit presents one of the few setbacks the project could face, after DeSantis signed a bill last year that aimed to preempt local governments from enacting or enforcing regulations against presidential libraries.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The Louisiana native told me that overcoming his native cuisine was half the battle in that redshirt year.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The biggest obstacle was overcoming low expectations.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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