shellacking

noun

shel·​lack·​ing shə-ˈla-kiŋ 

: a decisive defeat : drubbing

Synonyms

• beating
• defeat
• drubbing
• licking
• loss
• lump
• overthrow
• plastering
• rout
• trimming
• trouncing
• whipping

Examples of shellacking in a Sentence

They took a shellacking in yesterday's game.

suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition

Recent Examples on the Web

Interestingly, the third least-exciting Super Bowl since Y2K was also a beatdown of Patrick Mahomes, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive line ran him in circles for 60 straight minutes en route to a 31-9 shellacking. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Its first exclusive playoff contest—a Ravens 28-14 shellacking of the Steelers—garnered 22.1 million average viewers, with a peak of 24.7 million tuned in. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 7 Feb. 2025

While Ohio State is a perennial ratings draw, even the rich kids from the Big Ten can’t do much to prevent fans from churning away when a shellacking is in the works. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 22 Jan. 2025

But as a 36-14 shellacking in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday night cautioned America … not all of them. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shellacking

• attacking
• backpacking
• backtracking
• hijacking
• kayaking
• meatpacking
• ransacking
• repacking
• unpacking
• backing
• blacking
• clacking

Kids Definition

shellacking

noun

shel·​lack·​ing

shə-ˈlak-iŋ

: a lopsided defeat