skull

1 of 2

noun

ˈskəl 

plural skulls

1

: the skeleton of the head of a vertebrate forming a bony or cartilaginous case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws

2

: the seat of understanding or intelligence : mind see also out of one's skull

skulled

ˈskəld 

adjective

… the craniate (skulled) vertebrates …

—Eugene Solomon Talbot

• — usually used in combination
  large-skulled

skull

2 of 2

verb

skulled; skulling; skulls

transitive verb

1

: to hit on the head

2

: to unintentionally hit (a golf ball or shot) with the bottom edge of the clubface

Synonyms

Noun

• cranium

Examples of skull in a Sentence

Noun

He had a fractured skull.

paleoanthropologists recently found the skull of a prehistoric man in a remote area of the desert

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Additional skeletal remains in the possession of the University of Wisconsin were found to match the skull, however, leading to more evidence. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

For men, dress up like dapper skeletons wearing black suits and white shirts, wide-brimmed hats, like a top hat adorned with roses, and classic skull face makeup. —Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

And, most incredibly, not after skulling a bunker shot on the par-5 14th, then hacking out to 30 feet. —Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, 13 June 2019

The ball was sitting on such tight grass that he easily could have chunked or skulled it. —Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, 17 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skulle, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skulle skull

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing skull

• get it into/through one's thick skull
• out of one's skull
• skull and crossbones
• skull session

Kids Definition

skull

noun

ˈskəl

1

: the case of bone or cartilage that forms the skeleton of the head and face, encloses the brain, and supports the jaws of vertebrates

2

: the location of understanding or intelligence : mind

skulled

ˈskəld

adjective

Medical Definition

skull

noun

ˈskəl 

: the skeleton of the head forming a bony case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws