LICKINGS Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

lickings

noun

plural of licking

as in defeats

failure to win a contest our team took a licking last night, but we'll get them next time

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for lickings

Noun

Mayer’s three professional defeats have now all come in England, following split-decision losses to Alycia Baumgardner in London in 2022 and Natasha Jonas in Liverpool in 2024.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
This move follows recent court defeats for the department after rules to limit PSLF were struck down, raising concerns about the broader impact on public service workers.

— Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeats

Noun

Hisbah members also face widespread allegations of rights abuses in their enforcement operations, including subjecting offenders to dehumanizing punishments such as public beatings or shaming.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
According to Human Rights Watch, Taliban security forces responded with beatings, shots into the crowd, detentions of protesters, and the killing of at least one boy.

— Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of beatings

Noun

Mayer’s three professional defeats have now all come in England, following split-decision losses to Alycia Baumgardner in London in 2022 and Natasha Jonas in Liverpool in 2024.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Rather than immediately exposing maneuver forces to direct contact, Russian commanders typically first attempt to inflict sufficient losses on Ukrainian defenders to make the subsequent assault more manageable.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of losses

Noun

Reynolds cites the early-18th-century diary of William Byrd II, who read Homer in the morning and administered whippings to refractory slaves in the afternoon.

— James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
There was physical violence as well — whippings, beatings, even bricks thrown.

— Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

Definition of whippings

Noun

Last week, City & State reported payments were late again this year in 3-K and Pre-K, and The New York Times later reported the same setbacks were also straining the new 2-K pilot program, renewing scrutiny of the delays.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
More than four decades ago, after months of setbacks in the war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, thousands of young Iranian troops launched a surprise offensive that turned the tide.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of setbacks

Noun

Additionally, the tariff exemptions only apply to beef trimmings, which are blended with other cuts to make ground beef.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Think things like garden trimmings, grass clippings, the first fall leaves, and annuals that aren’t going to come back.

— Shelby Deering, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of trimmings

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“Lickings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickings. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of lickings

noun

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