1
as in bombed
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 defeated
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 stung
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
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunked
Verb
-
An entire Arab nation bombed into ruins.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Dec. 2024 -
Its conservative stances resulted in its office being bombed by left-wing labor activists in 1910, killing 21 and wounding over 100 in one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in United States history.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Neophyte candidates who survive this process and make it to the ballot are often so drained of time, energy and money that they are trounced at the polls.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Dec. 2024
-
The opposition trounced Yoon’s ruling party in national elections in April.—
Victor Cha,
The Atlantic,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Things happened—or didn’t happen—depending on who had the ear of the president at any moment and who had mastered the dark arts of bureaucratic warfare.—
Henry Farrell,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Dec. 2024
-
And Valverde has mastered this facet of the game, with five of his six goals this season coming from shots from outside the penalty area — the most by any player in Europe’s top five domestic leagues.—
Mario Cortegana,
The Athletic,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Congressman/Senator/President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a monstrous piece of work who cheated his way to power from his teens on.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Dec. 2024
-
They felt cheated because rather than pay off the debt, Germany defaulted.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
In at least four of the heists, the thieves threatened their victim with a gun; one victim was pistol whipped, cops said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
23 Dec. 2024
-
At the final whistle, James ran onto the field and whipped a towel through the air.—
Thuc Nhi Nguyen,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Spurgeon saved possession, Shore hustled to beat the Hawks to the puck and popped it down low to Trenin, who set up Spurgeon’s tying goal through Jones’ screen.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Three hours later, the chair was hustled from the building, and Cohen followed soon afterward.—
Zach Zimmerman,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
These players cost a lot of money, that is true, but they were also plucked by a recruitment team established after a challenging first summer for the owners where the correct type of players were not hired.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Protesters aren’t just swept up during protests; since July, the authorities have plucked low-profile demonstrators from their homes days after they were seen on the street.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But Dani learns that he’s been writing to another girl on the ship, which upsets her deeply.—
Cressida Leyshon,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
-
The dramatic change has added to the excitement level ahead of fight night in Inglewood, California, as Moicano bids to upset Makhachev on one day's notice.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Thesaurus Entries Near skunked
Cite this Entry
“Skunked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunked. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share