plural punks
1
: a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian
2
3
4
[probably partly from punk entry 3]
: nonsense, foolishness
5
archaic
: a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker
1
a
: of or relating to punk rock
b
: relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock
2
: very poor : inferior
played a punk game
3
: being in poor health
said that she was feeling punk
1
: wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder
2
: a preparation (as of a stick of coated wood) that burns slowly and is used to ignite fuses especially of fireworks
Examples of punk in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs
the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family
claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk
Adjective
she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her
the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk
Recent Examples on the Web
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 28 Feb. 2025
Dammers’s recollection of this time will strike a chord with many people who were there:
For me, reggae made punk gigs bearable.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 12 Mar. 2025
As for her glam, Tyla added some punk sensibility with her hairstyle, featuring a choppy fringe.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
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Adjective
But after a few years there, the punk front man moved about a ten-minute walk away into a studio apartment at 115 East 9th Street, a 20-story postwar high-rise.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 28 Feb. 2025
Dammers’s recollection of this time will strike a chord with many people who were there:
For me, reggae made punk gigs bearable.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
Whereas New York delivered practicality, London tapped into its punk roots and Milan served directional trends made for the runway, Paris offered leaned heavily on avant-garde silhouettes, textures and shadowy contrasts.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 12 Mar. 2025
As for her glam, Tyla added some punk sensibility with her hairstyle, featuring a choppy fringe.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punk
2 of 2 adjective1
: very poor in quality
played a punk game
2
: being in poor health
feeling punk today
3
a
: of or relating to punk rock
b
: relating to or being a style (as of clothing or hair) first inspired by punk rock
Etymology
Noun
origin unknown
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