What does skunking mean?
Skunking means defeating an opponent decisively, usually by a wide margin, and is especially common in informal sports reporting. Saying that a team skunked another suggests that the defeated side was overwhelmed rather than narrowly beaten. The word can also mean cheating or deceiving someone unfairly, as in allegations that a business skunked customers through hidden charges. Its tone is playful and emphatic, often conveying disbelief at how one-sided the result was. Because it is more colloquial than defeat, rout, or overwhelm, skunking is especially suited to informal commentary, though it also appears in journalism and everyday conversation. It is the present participle of skunk and is used both as an ongoing action and in past-tense constructions such as get skunked.
To defeat an opponent decisively, especially by a large margin.
"The champion was skunked in its first match."
Informal and particularly common in American sports usage.
To cheat or deceive someone unfairly.
"Some customers felt that the company had skunked them through hidden fees."
This meaning is informal and implies deliberate unfairness.
To say that a team was skunked means it lost so decisively that the result was never really in doubt.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skunking come from?
The word comes from skunk, the North American mammal known for its powerful defensive odor. By the late 19th century, skunk had acquired the figurative meaning of defeating someone decisively. The present-participle form skunking developed from that established verb.
Related word forms
How skunking is actually used
The word is informal and especially common in American sports and competitive contexts. Its sense of cheating or deception is also informal and may imply deliberate unfairness.