as in dog
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bomb
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
2
as in to defeat
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 to sting
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
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.
Recent Examples of skunk
Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Sacramento County had 12 bats and two skunks test positive in 2023, according to state figures.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 28 June 2024
Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 4 Nov. 2020
That means two out of three Minnesota turkey hunters are going skunked this spring.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 21 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for skunk 
Noun
Dogs, skunks, ferrets, foxes, coyotes and even squirrels can all be affected.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Sacramento County had 12 bats and two skunks test positive in 2023, according to state figures.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 28 June 2024
Verb
There’s nothing worse than getting skunked and then stuck in the marsh with no cell service.
—Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 4 Nov. 2020
That means two out of three Minnesota turkey hunters are going skunked this spring.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 21 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for skunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunk
Noun
-
Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.cleveland, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023
-
Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
The Syrian civil war, up to last week, was the tedious winnowing process in which the Assad government bombed, killed, and terrorized Syrians into either fleeing the country or submitting to him.Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024
-
During his first administration, President Donald Trump bombed Syria twice—on April 7, 2017, and April 14, 2018—in retaliation for chemical attacks.Paul Iddon, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Maryland enjoyed its most effective offensive outing since defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 111-85, on Nov. 18, 2005.Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 18 Dec. 2024
-
The surest way into a better playoff seeding for the Chargers would be to defeat the Broncos, the Patriots and the Raiders.Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Unfortunately, Ronnie’s rough morning gets worse when she’s stung by a jellyfish.Emma Soren, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Matthew Boyd will be joining the team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series, a fact that still stings with fans of Cleveland baseball.Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Imperioli’s Malcolm seems shocked when Leonard shares a story about smoking on a plane.Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
-
The sandwich section includes the crispy smoked chicken and the Loro cheeseburger.Ana Gutierrez, Austin American-Statesman, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But one 3-year-old has seemingly mastered the art of tidying up, which has reduced the internet to tears.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Travis even masters two games of strip poker, where he is apparently allowed to cheat roguishly.Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Others cast blame, lie, and even cheat to avoid consequences.Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Alexander says having an app summarize material for a learner is not considered cheating.Sarah Scott, Parents, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The clowns there, contributed by donors worldwide, are not for sale.Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
-
The parade’s 98th year was the largest yet, with more than 5,000 volunteers, 17 character balloons, 22 floats, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 11 marching bands and 10 performance groups.Violet Goldstone, WWD, 30 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near skunk
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunk. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share