shellacking
Americannoun
-
an utter defeat.
a shellacking their team will remember.
-
a sound thrashing.
His father gave him a shellacking for stealing the book.
noun
Etymology
Origin of shellacking
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.
Even Curaçao, the smallest country ever to play in the World Cup, bounced back from a 7-1 shellacking at the hands of Germany to secure its first ever point with a draw against Ecuador.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Trade-driven gains for industries such as textiles or jewelry are more than offset, markets-wise, by the shellacking India’s IT outsourcers are taking from the global software selloff.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
That’s because Darnold was standing on the other side of the field, wearing a No. 14 Seahawks jersey and a broad grin, as Seattle unleashed a comprehensive shellacking of his former team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
“We needed that,” he said, “to help us get over that shellacking we took in Game 2.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024
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.
