bunk

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
b
: a built-in bed (as on a ship) that is often one of a tier of berths
c
: a sleeping place
2
: a feeding trough for farm animals and especially cattle

bunk

2 of 4

verb

bunked; bunking; bunks

intransitive verb

: to occupy a bunk or bed : stay the night
bunked with a friend for the night

transitive verb

: to provide with a bunk or bed

bunk

3 of 4

noun (2)

bunk

4 of 4

noun (3)

British
: a hurried departure or escape
usually used in the phrase do a bunk

Examples of bunk in a Sentence

Noun (1) crawled into their bunks and went to sleep immediately Verb We'll bunk here for the night. She was able to bunk with friends. Noun (2) the idea that the Great Wall of China is visible from the moon is pure bunk Noun (3) he waited until everyone was looking the other way, then did a bunk from the room
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The house can sleep up to 24 guests, with a penthouse corner king room, a penthouse suite, and a bunk room featuring queen beds. Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2024 The home spans more than 7,580 square feet and has five bedrooms, plus a bunk room, served by six bathrooms and two powder rooms. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 20 June 2024
Verb
When the evictions started, Taylor says, his family and others bunked in the homes of generous neighbors in Section 14, only to have to move again when those families’ houses were slated for demolition too. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2024 Sunny and Ben hook up in the bathroom (again) and take Ben and Kyle’s room for themselves, sending Kyle to bunk with Barbie (again). Emma Soren, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bunk 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bunk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably short for bunker

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1900, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bunk was in 1758

Dictionary Entries Near bunk

Cite this Entry

“Bunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bunk. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

bunk

1 of 3 noun
1
2
: a built-in bed (as on a ship)
3
: a sleeping place

bunk

2 of 3 verb
1
: to sleep in a bunk or bed
2
: to provide with a bunk or bed

bunk

3 of 3 noun
Etymology

Noun

probably a shortened form of bunker

Noun

short for bunkum, from Buncombe County, North Carolina

Word Origin
The word bunk is a shortened form of bunkum, which came from the name Buncombe County, North Carolina. Around 1820, the congressman for the district in which this county was located decided to give a very long, boring speech to the Congress. This speech had nothing at all to do with what was under discussion. Still he stubbornly made it, just to please the voters of Buncombe County. The word buncombe and its other spelling bunkum quickly caught on as a name for empty political nonsense. It didn't take long before its use broadened to include any kind of empty or insincere talk or action. In time it was shortened to the more emphatic bunk.

More from Merriam-Webster on bunk

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