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to skunk

to skunk

8 8.8
To beat someone in a game so they score no points
  • verb
  • /skʌŋk/
  • Informal
translation icon : blanquear
  • I was rooting for the Cards to win it all, but I hope they get skunked by the Giants now.
  • get skunked
  • skunked again

Examples

  • The basketball team was skunked during the championship, with the final score showing zero points for them.

  • Yeah, I suck so bad I just skunked you.

  • -It looked like you skunked out on us.

  • You guys are all getting skunked.

  • After the U.S. team skunked the Lithuanians 127-76 in the 1992 Olympic semifinal, the teams posed for a photo.

    Blog text (19)
  • Our opponents skunked us with a final score of 5-0, leaving us without any points on the board.

  • After a tough match, the home team skunked their rivals, not allowing them to score a single point.

Synonyms

to whoop
vsto skunk
  • Slang
32 4.2

To beat someone easily in a game or contest

focuses more on stopping opponents from scoring than mere decisiveness
to shellack
vsto skunk
  • Informal
3 8.5

To beat someone very badly in a game or match

focuses more on preventing any scoring rather than only the margin
to blank
vsto skunk
2 7.7

To stop the other team from scoring in a game

focuses on winning by a very large margin rather than only stopping scoring
to wallop
vsto skunk
  • Informal
1 6.7

To beat someone very easily and completely in a game or contest

focuses on winning by a very large margin rather than mere decisiveness
to mudhole
vsto skunk
  • Informal
9.9

To beat someone by a large amount in a game

is the neutral expression for large margin defeats rather than slang

Antonyms

1.0

Fail to win a game or contest

Idioms

drunk as a skunk
  • Informal
4 8.9

Too much alcohol makes a person very unsteady and unable to think clearly

9.8

A person who makes others feel awkward at a social gathering

Compounds

1 8.9

A low plant with a strong bad smell that grows in wet places

8.5

A large skunk with a bare nose and white back and tail found in southwestern North America and Mexico

little spotted skunk
  • Specialized
7.9

A small skunk with black and white fur in a marbled pattern from the United States and Mexico

hog-nosed skunk
  • Specialized
9.8

A large skunk with a bare, pig-like snout and a white back and tail from southwestern North America

A large skunk with a bare pig-like nose and a white back and tail from southwestern North America

8.8

A skunk with a white band of fur around its neck that lives in Mexico and southern Arizona

9.9

A large skunk with a long nose and a white stripe on its back and tail

9.8

A stocky wild animal from North America with thick fur that eats meat, like a wolverine

skunk-weed
  • NSFW
9.9

A strong-smelling form of marijuana used for pleasure

9.9

A tall mountain herb with sticky leaves and a strong bad smell

7.4

A small animal from the United States and Mexico with black and white spotted fur

5.1

A small black animal with white stripes that sprays a strong bad smell when scared

How Decisive

to skunk
  • Informal
8 8.8
to thrash
6 4.5
to trounce
14 7.5
defeat
275 2.5
to beat
1.4

Surface Forms

skunk infinitive
skunked past
skunked past participle
skunking present participle
skunks third person singular

Etymology

To skunk someone means to beat them by a large margin or stop them from scoring, using the same idea of a humiliating, 'stinking' defeat named after the animal.