shellac
1 of 2noun
shel·lac shə-ˈlak 
1
: purified lac usually prepared in thin orange or yellow flakes by heating and filtering and often bleached white
2
: a preparation of lac dissolved usually in alcohol and used chiefly as a wood filler and finish
3
a
: a composition containing shellac formerly used for making phonograph records
b
: an old 78 rpm phonograph record
shellac
2 of 2verb
shellacked; shellacking
transitive verb
1
: to coat or otherwise treat with shellac or a shellac varnish
2
: to defeat decisively
Synonyms
Verb
- annihilate
- blow away
- bomb
- bury
- clobber
- cream
- drub
- dust
- flatten
- paste
- rout
- skin
- skunk
- smoke [slang]
- smother
- snow under
- thrash
- trim
- tromp
- trounce
- wallop
- wax [slang]
- whip
- whomp
- whop
- whap
- whup
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021 The process required cleaning and hand-sanding every panel and groove, after which Newborg applied a custom shellac and finish. Nancy Ngo, Star Tribune, 30 July 2021 Denatured alcohol can be used to strip floors and make shellac, but don’t put it in your homemade hand sanitizer to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 6 Mar. 2020 The Brach’s classic candy corn ingredients were listed as sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze (shellac), salt, dextrose, gelatin, sesame oil, artificial flavor, honey, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 3. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2019 At the turn of the century, the ever-expanding electrical industry was running low on shellac, a resin secreted by the female lac bug which could be used as an insulating material. Alice Bell, CNN, 5 Nov. 2019 Shifts in format — from wax cylinders to shellac discs to LPs to CDs and MP3s and now streaming — arrive periodically to transform the record trade. New York Times, 11 June 2019 Methanol is a type of alcohol that's often used as an ingredient in antifreeze, paint thinner, shellac, and windshield wiper fluid, according to MedlinePlus. Cory Stieg, refinery29.com, 18 June 2019 The site became industrialized with the Lacy Foundry and industries that made shellac and paint. Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, 15 June 2019 Dallas News, 25 May 2020 Indeed, on a day the market was shellacked, Zoom Video Communications was off just a smidge, and Chinese delivery giant Meituan eked out a gain. Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2020 The news media industry continues to be shellacked by the dismal advertising market as businesses remain shuttered throughout much of the country. New York Times, 18 Apr. 2020 The Paris mayor's race has been downright nasty, and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party reportedly is due to get shellacked. Michelle Krupa, CNN, 15 Mar. 2020 The hairstyle, known for its round shape, with hair swept off the face and shellacked into place with quite a bit of hair spray, is symbolic of all that is retro. Marisa Meltzer, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020 So what if most mushes fell victim to the tongue-thrust reflex or ended up repurposed as art supplies, my walls decorated with beet-purple spatter and shellacked with heirloom bean? Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020 Stocks snapped back from last week’s shellacking on expectations for a global policy response if the world economy is constricted by the effects of the coronavirus. Hiroko Masuike, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020 If Sanders were to get shellacked, however, recriminations would be instant and intense. Michael Tomasky, The New York Review of Books, 27 Feb. 2020 See More
Noun
Fill those existing dents with clear nail polish or shellac. Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021 The process required cleaning and hand-sanding every panel and groove, after which Newborg applied a custom shellac and finish. Nancy Ngo, Star Tribune, 30 July 2021 Denatured alcohol can be used to strip floors and make shellac, but don’t put it in your homemade hand sanitizer to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 6 Mar. 2020 The Brach’s classic candy corn ingredients were listed as sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze (shellac), salt, dextrose, gelatin, sesame oil, artificial flavor, honey, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 3. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2019 At the turn of the century, the ever-expanding electrical industry was running low on shellac, a resin secreted by the female lac bug which could be used as an insulating material. Alice Bell, CNN, 5 Nov. 2019 Shifts in format — from wax cylinders to shellac discs to LPs to CDs and MP3s and now streaming — arrive periodically to transform the record trade. New York Times, 11 June 2019 Methanol is a type of alcohol that's often used as an ingredient in antifreeze, paint thinner, shellac, and windshield wiper fluid, according to MedlinePlus. Cory Stieg, refinery29.com, 18 June 2019 The site became industrialized with the Lacy Foundry and industries that made shellac and paint. Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, 15 June 2019 Verb
There are also nagging economic questions, including Texans getting shellacked by outrageous property tax bills amid a pandemic that’s left millions of residents out of work and struggling to feed their families. Dallas News, 25 May 2020 Indeed, on a day the market was shellacked, Zoom Video Communications was off just a smidge, and Chinese delivery giant Meituan eked out a gain. Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2020 The news media industry continues to be shellacked by the dismal advertising market as businesses remain shuttered throughout much of the country. New York Times, 18 Apr. 2020 The Paris mayor's race has been downright nasty, and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party reportedly is due to get shellacked. Michelle Krupa, CNN, 15 Mar. 2020 The hairstyle, known for its round shape, with hair swept off the face and shellacked into place with quite a bit of hair spray, is symbolic of all that is retro. Marisa Meltzer, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020 So what if most mushes fell victim to the tongue-thrust reflex or ended up repurposed as art supplies, my walls decorated with beet-purple spatter and shellacked with heirloom bean? Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020 Stocks snapped back from last week’s shellacking on expectations for a global policy response if the world economy is constricted by the effects of the coronavirus. Hiroko Masuike, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020 If Sanders were to get shellacked, however, recriminations would be instant and intense. Michael Tomasky, The New York Review of Books, 27 Feb. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
shell entry 1 + lac
First Known Use
Noun
1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
shellac 1 of 2
noun
shel·lac shə-ˈlak
: a varnish made from a material that is given off by an insect and that is dissolved usually in alcohol
shellac
2 of 2verb
shellacked; shellacking
: to coat with shellac
shellac
verb
as in to wax
to defeat by a large margin the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- wax
- bomb
- cream
- paste
- dust
- whip
- overcome
- skin
- trim
- master
- bury
- skunk
- top
- smoke
- rout
- blow away
- flatten
- snow under
- smother
- drub
- upset
- beat
- clobber
- thrash
- whomp
- trounce
- wallop
- annihilate
- throw
- whop
- tromp
- score
- cap
- eat alive
- overwhelm
- beat the pants off
- whup
- wipe the floor with
- wipe the ground with
- run rings around
- run circles around
- lick
- whap
- take
- destroy
- surpass
- best
- exceed
- sweep
- finish
- better
- worst
- dispatch
- succeed
- conquer
- crush
- hurdle
- surmount
- overbear
- overtop
- subdue
- eclipse
- slaughter
- subjugate
- vanquish
- overthrow
- overmatch
- nose out
- transcend
- knock over
- outdo
- excel
- overpower
- knock off
- upend
- outshine
- win (against)
- outstrip
- outdistance
- pip
- flourish
- prevail (over)
- triumph (over)
- break
- sink
- ace (out)
- edge (out)
- do in
- outfight
