Illustration of skunk
- skunk 1a
skunk
1 of 2noun
ˈskəŋk 
plural skunks also skunk
1
a
: any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (especially genus Mephitis) of the weasel family that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected
b
: the fur of a skunk
2
: an obnoxious or disliked person
skunk
2 of 2verb
skunked; skunking; skunks
transitive verb
1
a
: defeat
b
: to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : shut out
2
: to fail to pay
also : cheat
Synonyms
Noun
- bastard
- beast
- bleeder [British]
- blighter [chiefly British]
- boor
- bounder
- bugger
- buzzard
- cad
- chuff
- churl
- clown
- creep
- cretin
- crud [slang]
- crumb [slang]
- cur
- dirtbag [slang]
- dog
- fink
- heel
- hound
- jerk
- joker
- louse
- lout
- pill
- rat
- rat fink
- reptile
- rotter
- schmuck [slang]
- scum
- scumbag [slang]
- scuzzball [slang]
- sleaze
- sleazebag [slang]
- sleazeball [slang]
- slime
- slimeball [slang]
- slob
- snake
- so-and-so
- sod [chiefly British]
- stinkard
- stinker
- swine
- toad
- varmint
- vermin
Verb
- annihilate
- blow away
- bomb
- bury
- clobber
- cream
- drub
- dust
- flatten
- paste
- rout
- shellac
- skin
- smoke [slang]
- smother
- snow under
- thrash
- trim
- tromp
- trounce
- wallop
- wax [slang]
- whip
- whomp
- whop
- whap
- whup
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Her brother's a low-down, dirty skunk. he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk Verb we ended up skunking them, as our goalie was able to prevent the other team from scoring a single goal our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving
Recent Examples on the Web
cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022 Start your skunk stripe journey today, and shop the essentials below. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 27 July 2022 Raye also had some of her buzzing problems taken care of by a hungry skunk. Bethany Brookshire, Good Housekeeping, 18 June 2022 Surprisingly, the skunk didn't attack the deputy with its odor the entire time! USA TODAY, 22 June 2022 And Venezuela is always the skunk at the picnic, with President Nicolas Maduro shunned at most international gatherings. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 For the third time in as many weeks, a resident reported seeing what appeared to be a sick skunk, this one just after 8 p.m. April 5. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 14 Apr. 2022 Madagascar's skunk anemonefish will make fighting sounds different from anemonefish in Indonesia. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2022 Not the threat of a music festival, or Fourth of July fireworks, or rogue dogs and volleyballs, or high lake levels and gnarly storms — not even a skunk — could stop Chicago’s Great Lakes piping plovers from propagating. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2022 Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 17 Aug. 2022 Despite its cheeky name, skunk stripe hair has little to do with Pepé Le Pew. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 27 July 2022 Jacobson, an officer with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office in Rochester, found a baby skunk on the road that appeared to be dehydrated. USA TODAY, 22 June 2022 Javelinas are also known as peccaries or skunk pigs. Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2022 The federation says the rare animal also has a colorful array of nicknames, including woods devil, Indian devil, nasty cat and skunk bear. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2022 The one or two seasons when I was skunked came on the heels of hard winters. Ben Long, Outdoor Life, 6 Mar. 2020 The Broncos go out in style by skunking the silver and black as Drew Lock throws four touchdowns. Ryan O’halloran, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2019 Georgia skunked Missouri 27-0 last week, but Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant didn’t play because of an injury. Joseph Goodman, al, 14 Nov. 2019 See More
Noun
The entry fee for the skunk is $10 for one and additional $5 for other skunks. cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022 Start your skunk stripe journey today, and shop the essentials below. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 27 July 2022 Raye also had some of her buzzing problems taken care of by a hungry skunk. Bethany Brookshire, Good Housekeeping, 18 June 2022 Surprisingly, the skunk didn't attack the deputy with its odor the entire time! USA TODAY, 22 June 2022 And Venezuela is always the skunk at the picnic, with President Nicolas Maduro shunned at most international gatherings. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 For the third time in as many weeks, a resident reported seeing what appeared to be a sick skunk, this one just after 8 p.m. April 5. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 14 Apr. 2022 Madagascar's skunk anemonefish will make fighting sounds different from anemonefish in Indonesia. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2022 Not the threat of a music festival, or Fourth of July fireworks, or rogue dogs and volleyballs, or high lake levels and gnarly storms — not even a skunk — could stop Chicago’s Great Lakes piping plovers from propagating. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2022 Verb
From the long, layered butterfly haircut to edgy skunk stripe hair, TikTok hair trends are everywhere—and likely will be for a while. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 17 Aug. 2022 Despite its cheeky name, skunk stripe hair has little to do with Pepé Le Pew. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 27 July 2022 Jacobson, an officer with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office in Rochester, found a baby skunk on the road that appeared to be dehydrated. USA TODAY, 22 June 2022 Javelinas are also known as peccaries or skunk pigs. Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2022 The federation says the rare animal also has a colorful array of nicknames, including woods devil, Indian devil, nasty cat and skunk bear. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2022 The one or two seasons when I was skunked came on the heels of hard winters. Ben Long, Outdoor Life, 6 Mar. 2020 The Broncos go out in style by skunking the silver and black as Drew Lock throws four touchdowns. Ryan O’halloran, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2019 Georgia skunked Missouri 27-0 last week, but Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant didn’t play because of an injury. Joseph Goodman, al, 14 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
earlier squuncke, from a Massachusett reflex of Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, fox-like animal
First Known Use
Noun
1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing skunk
Kids Definition
skunk
noun
ˈskəŋk
: a North American animal related to the weasels that has coarse black-and-white fur and can squirt out a fluid with a very unpleasant smell
Geographical Definition
Skunk
geographical name
river 264 miles (425 kilometers) long in southeastern Iowa flowing southeast into the Mississippi River
skunked
verb
1
as in trounced
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
Relevance
- trounced
- bombed
- clobbered
- whipped
- upset
- thrashed
- annihilated
- buried
- smoked
- shellacked
- creamed
- walloped
- mastered
- flattened
- overcame
- dusted
- routed
- overwhelmed
- skinned
- beat
- whomped
- tromped
- smothered
- drubbed
- waxed
- threw
- whupped
- whopped
- whapped
- snowed under
- pasted
- topped
- trimmed
- blew away
- swept
- surpassed
- scored
- took
- succeeded
- conquered
- destroyed
- exceeded
- ate alive
- bested
- capped
- dispatched
- licked
- crushed
- overmatched
- vanquished
- beat the pants off
- subdued
- overpowered
- ran rings around
- wiped the floor with
- finished
- eclipsed
- wiped the ground with
- slaughtered
- worsted
- outdistanced
- ran circles around
- bettered
- subjugated
- surmounted
- upended
- outshone
- outstripped
- outdid
- excelled
- transcended
- hurdled
- knocked over
- overtopped
- pipped
- outfought
- knocked off
- overthrew
- outshined
- sunk
- flourished
- nosed out
- sank
- broke
- overbore
- prevailed (over)
- aced (out)
- triumphed (over)
- did in
- won (against)
- edged (out)
2
as in defeated
to achieve a victory over our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving Synonyms & Similar Words
- defeated
- mastered
- got
- overcame
- beat
- conquered
- dispatched
- took
- stopped
- bested
- subdued
- licked
- overmatched
- succeeded
- surmounted
- worsted
- upended
- trimmed
- got around
- overwhelmed
- finished
- did down
- swept
- trounced
- got the better of
- buried
- clobbered
- upset
- scored
- crushed
- slaughtered
- thrashed
- surpassed
- annihilated
- overbore
- smoked
- shellacked
- creamed
- prevailed (over)
- knocked for a loop
- bombed
- walloped
- flattened
- exceeded
- skinned
- triumphed (over)
- excelled
- routed
- capped
- pipped
- vanquished
- whipped
- drubbed
- waxed
- won (against)
- blew out
- overpowered
- snowed under
- topped
- eclipsed
- nosed out
- blew away
- excelled
- flourished
- outdistanced
- unseated
- bettered
- subjugated
- outshone
- broke
- transcended
- outstripped
- outdid
- knocked over
- overtopped
- knocked off
- outfought
- overthrew
- outshined
- edged (out)
- aced (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lost (to)
- fell
- went down
- failed
- folded
- gave up
- collapsed
- washed out
- flopped
- flunked
- went under
3
as in stung
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
- stung
- cheated
- hustled
- plucked
- squeezed
- stuck
- screwed
- beat
- did
- hosed
- rooked
- deceived
- swindled
- suckered
- tricked
- shortchanged
- victimized
- bled
- shorted
- conned
- gaffed
- stiffed
- fleeced
- skinned
- fooled
- euchred
- diddled
- defrauded
- reamed
- cozened
- mulcted
- exploited
- shook down
- bilked
- ripped off
- betrayed
- fiddled
- nobbled
- choused
- flimflammed
- thimblerigged
- chiseled
- did in
- took for a ride
- soaked
- wrenched
- took to the cleaners
- sold a bill of goods to
- extorted
- milked
- gouged
- nicked
- gulled
- clipped
- duped
- wrung
- overcharged
- wrested
- chiselled
- bitched
- bamboozled
- double-crossed
- roped (in)
- fast-talked