skull and crossbones

noun

plural skulls and crossbones

: a representation of a human skull over crossbones usually used as a warning of danger to life

Examples of skull and crossbones in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Banksy has riffed on the Virgin and Child theme before: His 2003 work Toxic Mary portrays a Madonna figures feeding a child milk from a bottle emblazoned with a skull and crossbones. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 17 Dec. 2024

The email included a chart showing a skull and crossbones at around that depth. —Mark Harris, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2024

Stokes, who has long hair and glasses, giving him the look of a scientific David Foster Wallace, decorated his office with a poster of a skull and crossbones. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Lola fashioned a pair of baggy light blue jeans with a worn leather jacket and a shirt featuring a skull and crossbones. —Julia Teti, WWD, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for skull and crossbones

• fluoroquinolones
• allophones
• chaperones
• cobblestones
• cornerstones
• francophones
• gramophones
• hydrophones
• microphones
• overtones
• pheromones
• quinolones

Kids Definition

skull and crossbones

noun

skull and cross·​bones -ˈkrȯs-ˌbōnz 

plural skulls and crossbones

: a representation of a human skull over crossbones used as a warning of danger to life