shellacking
Americannoun
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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.
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
Just not to the extent that players shook hands once India wrapped up their shellacking.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
It is the prospect of an almighty shellacking that prompts so many of the conversations about Sir Keir's future.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
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
He once coxed a Washington crew to a humiliating fifteen-length shellacking of California.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
