SKUNKS Synonyms: 280 Similar and Opposite Words

skunks 1 of 2

noun

variants also skunk

plural of skunk

as in dogs

a person whose behavior is offensive to others he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

skunks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of skunk

as in bombs

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

as in masters

to achieve a victory over our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stings

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of skunks

Noun

Officials say the last animal confirmed to have rabies that wasn’t a bat was a skunk infected with the bat strain of rabies in Long Beach in 2014. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 And coyotes regulate populations of mesocarnivores like skunks and raccoons, helping support the survival of ground-nesting birds. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 In North Carolina, rabies cases are most commonly found in raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Health Administration Rafael Vieira told UNC Charlotte. — Eva Flowe october 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026 Dogs and cats may be triggered by this distinctive smell and show unusual behavior when skunks are nearby, such as sniffing or pawing the dirt around the burrow or becoming more protective by growling or hovering near the entrance. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026 Rabies is spread through bites and scratches from infected animals — most often bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks — and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, though a four-to-five-shot vaccine given after exposure is nearly 100% effective. — The Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Pittsburgh's two new skunk sisters are one step closer to getting their names, thanks to the internet. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026 In the statement, Farm Adventures said the baby goats had been kept in a separate pen and were too young to receive their vaccinations when a skunk got into the enclosure. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skunks

Noun

But using dogs to investigate crimes wasn’t widely adopted until the mid ‘80s, Gould said.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
The study found that larger dogs lose 35% more LINE1 methylation than smaller dogs.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of dogs

Verb

Part of the ceiling consideration at quarterback is how a player masters the mental side of the game.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026
The real competitive advantage of the next decade will not belong to the CEO who masters every AI platform, but the CEO who consistently makes better decisions.

— Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of masters

Verb

Clement famously tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama's signature health care law, a loss that still stings.

— Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
General Mills spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995, and then Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014, in a deal with the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital that still stings many veterans to this day.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of stings

Verb

In the final race of his career, 3-year-old Man O War defeats 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in a match race, the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
This eventually defeats Other Mommy, leaving the happy family of three intact — even though there’s subtext that Bela will always have a little discomfort around her mother.

— William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeats

Verb

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of cheats

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skunking

skunks

skunky

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“Skunks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skunks. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of skunks

noun

verb

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