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shellacking

American  
[shuh-lak-ing] / ʃəˈlæk ɪŋ /

noun

Slang.

  1. an utter defeat.

    a shellacking their team will remember.

  2. a sound thrashing.

    His father gave him a shellacking for stealing the book.
shellacking British  
/ ˈʃɛlækɪŋ, ʃəˈlækɪŋ /

noun

  1. slang a complete defeat; a sound beating

    anyone who gives a shellacking to their bigger neighbours
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shellacking Idioms  

  1. see take a shellacking.

Etymology

Origin of shellacking

First recorded in 1880–85; shellac + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The shellacking that big bank stocks have taken as of late could be an ominous sign about what’s next for the economy.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

And the Dodgers looked anything but rested and refreshed in Friday’s 11-4 shellacking by the Toronto Blue Jays, which left them trailing a postseason series for the first time since last fall’s NLDS.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

North Carolina’s season began on Labor Day with a 48-14 shellacking by TCU in prime time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

England eventually ended with their second-largest ODI victory in terms of runs, just behind a 242-run shellacking of Australia at Trent Bridge in 2018.

From BBC • May 29, 2025

She had to lay down various layers, like shellacking a Stradivarius.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.