shellackings

noun

plural of shellacking
as in defeats
failure to win a contest suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellackings
  1. defeats
  2. losses
  3. setbacks
  4. beatings
Noun
  • Elsewhere, Leipzig bounced back from heavy defeats against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid by crushing Elversberg 4-0.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Mike Macdonald’s squad is coming off back-to-back losses to the Niners and Broncos, their first consecutive defeats since December 2024.
    — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeats
Noun
  • Though opposing armies suffered heavy losses, neither made any significant territorial gains.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Jets, meanwhile, dropped to 0-8 against AFC East opponents under Aaron Glenn, including consecutive losses to New England and Miami.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of losses
Noun
  • Specifically, community members highlighted the 60-decibel noise threshold, 25-foot building setbacks and chalking restrictions.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Other potential launch providers, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin, are both working through setbacks with their launch vehicles.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of setbacks
Noun
  • Regardless of age, they were expected to sit up straight and pay attention, or suffer beatings, Teymouri said.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • According to the indictment, detainees were subjected to electric shocks, simulated drowning, beatings, asphyxiation, sleep deprivation and threats against their relatives.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of beatings
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.

Browse Nearby Words

shellacking
shellackings
shellacs
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Cite this Entry

“Shellackings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellackings. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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