skunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈskəŋk How to pronounce skunk (audio)
plural skunks also skunk
Synonyms of skunknext
1
a
: any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (family Mephitidae, especially genus Mephitis) related to weasels that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected
b
: the fur of a skunk
2
: an obnoxious or disliked person

Illustration of skunk

Illustration of skunk
  • skunk 1a

skunk

2 of 2

verb

skunked; skunking; skunks

transitive verb

1
a
: defeat
b
: to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : shut out
2
: to fail to pay
also : cheat

Synonyms of skunk

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of skunk in a Sentence

Noun Her brother's a low-down, dirty skunk. he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk Verb we ended up skunking them, as our goalie was able to prevent the other team from scoring a single goal our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
The lakeshore bird also faces threats from predators like dogs, coyotes and skunks. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 Rabies is often found in bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected. — Kelli Arseneau, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Verb
That means two out of three Minnesota turkey hunters are going skunked this spring. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026 The party got skunked in every battleground state and lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years. — Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for skunk

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier squuncke, from a Massachusett reflex of Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, fox-like animal

First Known Use

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of skunk was in 1634

Phrases Containing skunk

Rhymes for skunk

See All Rhymes for skunk

Browse Nearby Words

skun
skunk
Skunk
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skunk. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

skunk

1 of 2 noun
ˈskəŋk How to pronounce skunk (audio)
plural skunks also skunk
1
: any of various black-and-white North American mammals related to the weasels that give off a fluid with a sharp and unpleasant smell when threatened
2
: a mean hateful person

skunk

2 of 2 verb
: to defeat completely
especially : to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : shut out
Etymology

Noun

from a word in Massachusett (an extinct Algonquian language spoken in Massachusetts)

Geographical Definition

Skunk

geographical name

river 264 miles (425 kilometers) long in southeastern Iowa flowing southeast into the Mississippi River

More from Merriam-Webster on skunk

Nglish: Translation of skunk for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about skunk

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All