as in defeat
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in drubbing
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of shellacking
Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 14 Oct. 2024
The three-game winning streak over the Volunteers -- built via a 49-7 shellacking in 2011, a 24-20 road win in 2015 and a 24-13 home win in the covid-19 year of 2020 -- is the longest active win streak against any SEC opponent for the Hogs.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 5 Oct. 2024
On May 23, 2002, the left-handed-hitting Green smashed four home runs, a double and a single, amassing a major league-record 19 total bases and driving in seven runs to lead the Dodgers to a 16-3 shellacking of the Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024
The previous one came against the Green Bay Packers in a wild card playoff loss at AT&T Stadium last January, a 48-32 shellacking that was a lot worse than the score indicated.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellacking 
Noun
Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown extended his touchdown streak to three games in the team’s 47-9 shellacking of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 14 Oct. 2024
The three-game winning streak over the Volunteers -- built via a 49-7 shellacking in 2011, a 24-20 road win in 2015 and a 24-13 home win in the covid-19 year of 2020 -- is the longest active win streak against any SEC opponent for the Hogs.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 5 Oct. 2024
On May 23, 2002, the left-handed-hitting Green smashed four home runs, a double and a single, amassing a major league-record 19 total bases and driving in seven runs to lead the Dodgers to a 16-3 shellacking of the Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024
The previous one came against the Green Bay Packers in a wild card playoff loss at AT&T Stadium last January, a 48-32 shellacking that was a lot worse than the score indicated.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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Despite Fritz’s defeat, there remains a healthy contingent of US participants in the tournament, with Monfils facing American Ben Shelton in the fourth round on Monday.—
Matias Grez,
CNN,
18 Jan. 2025
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Their first defeat since December 7 must be quickly consigned to history and Howe’s team must learn how to better recover from setbacks at home.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In Bridget Jones: Mad About a Boy, Bridget Jones is reeling after the loss of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and navigating life as a single mom.—
Lexy Perez,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Jan. 2025
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Among the many tragic losses families have suffered amid the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County, an Altadena man’s stands out.—
Josh DuBose,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Elle was also seen whipping her hands in a circle to the music during the awards ceremony.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
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This instant camera captures little moments and big occasions on film, which feels a little more special than whipping out an iPhone.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Pereira outclassed Rountree, putting a beating on his opponent before scoring a fourth-round TKO win.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Frazier gave Ali the worst beating of his life, slamming his midsection, round after round, with blows meant to send his kidneys and heart into unbearable anguish.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Firstly, the company faced significant setbacks in its clinical trials, particularly with its rheumatoid arthritis drug, filgotinib, which failed to gain FDA approval.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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Comets fall 7-4 to San Diego The Comets suffered a setback last week, losing 7-4 against the San Diego Sockers on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.—
Nathan Dunn,
Kansas City Star,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Representative Mike Lawler of New York, who has hinted at ambitions for a governor bid in 2026, according to the New York Post, will need to walk a fine line between appeasing his party and not upsetting potential voters in his home state, which could put him at odds with Republicans.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
4 Jan. 2025
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These weeds require control to prevent upsetting the entire turf ecosystem.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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