1
: purified lac usually prepared in thin orange or yellow flakes by heating and filtering and often bleached white
2
: a preparation of lac dissolved usually in alcohol and used chiefly as a wood filler and finish
3
a
: a composition containing shellac formerly used for making phonograph records
b
: an old 78 rpm phonograph record
shellacked; shellacking
1
: to coat or otherwise treat with shellac or a shellac varnish
2
: to defeat decisively
Synonyms
Examples of shellac in a Sentence
Verb
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
There are potentially irritating ingredients that may be included in mascara formulations to look out for, like shellac or thimerosal, so those with sensitive eyes will be safest selecting a mascara that is marked paraben-free or vegan.
—Olivia Cigliano, WWD, 30 July 2024
Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 13 Sep. 2024
Hailey Bieber is feeling fall, shellacking her nails in a cinnamon brown art, a blend of five sumptuous shades.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellac 
Noun
Victrola is a brand that’s been linked with record players for more than 115 years and today the company has announced the launch of the Victrola Automatic, a fully automatic turntable that leaves the days of old 78RPM shellac far behind.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
There are potentially irritating ingredients that may be included in mascara formulations to look out for, like shellac or thimerosal, so those with sensitive eyes will be safest selecting a mascara that is marked paraben-free or vegan.
—Olivia Cigliano, WWD, 30 July 2024
Verb
Why that 22-10 win feels like such a harbinger – Harbinger? – of what could come, continuing in Charlotte on Sunday against the already-hapless Carolina Panthers, victims of a 47-10 Week 1 shellacking by the New Orleans Saints.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 13 Sep. 2024
Hailey Bieber is feeling fall, shellacking her nails in a cinnamon brown art, a blend of five sumptuous shades.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellac
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shellac.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shellac
Cite this Entry
“Shellac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shellac. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shellac
1 of 2 noun
shel·lac
shə-ˈlak 
1
: purified lac
2
: a preparation of lac dissolved in alcohol and used as a wood filler or finish
shellac
2 of 2 verb
shellacked; shellacking
: to coat or treat with shellac
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