shellacking

noun

shel·​lack·​ing shə-ˈla-kiŋ How to pronounce shellacking (audio)
: a decisive defeat : drubbing

Examples of shellacking in a Sentence

They took a shellacking in yesterday's game. suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
Recent Examples on the Web After a 30-6 shellacking at the hands of the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday, the Steelers were trying to come back east later in the day. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 2 Oct. 2023 The Dodgers relief corps was reeling in mid-June, with back-to-back shellackings at the hands of the San Francisco Giants exacerbating the struggles of an already ailing bullpen. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for shellacking 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shellacking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shellacking was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near shellacking

Cite this Entry

“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shellacking. Accessed 30 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

shellacking

noun
shel·​lack·​ing
shə-ˈlak-iŋ
: a lopsided defeat

More from Merriam-Webster on shellacking

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!