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
-
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 -
The biggest obstacle was overcoming low expectations.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Trump has not endorsed a candidate, raising the likelihood of a June 16 runoff that would burn more time and money before the party can focus on defeating Ossoff.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
Darby Allin defended his AEW World Championship twice in one week, defeating Konosuke Takeshita and Sammy Guevara.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
And when everyone else in the classroom is a genius, cheating becomes a real option to stay ahead, especially in the sciences.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
-
Kevin appeared to reference his 2017 cheating scandal, which transpired while Eniko was pregnant with their first child.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
12 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
-
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
Verb
-
Owners who insist on doing it their way without mastering the existing system will often struggle.—
Seth Lederman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
These creators made that knowledge far more accessible, producing educational content on everything from building a washday routine and transitioning from relaxers to mastering styles like twist-outs.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Despite a series of stinging gerrymandering losses, Democrats remain favored to take back the House.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
How to Identify Peach Tree Borers Adult peach tree borers resemble stinging wasps, an evolutionary trick designed to scare away predators.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 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
-
This can and should be done without bombing the plant.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Denise attacked Djena again, beating her until Mohamed and their eldest son, Ahmed, pulled her off.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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After the shooting, federal authorities accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of beating an ICE officer with a broomstick or a snow shovel during the incident, but those charges were later dropped after an investigation into whether the agents lied about the incident.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
18 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Skunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunking. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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