Illustration of skunk
- skunk 1a
plural skunks also skunk
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
Synonyms
Noun
- bastard
- beast
- bleeder [British]
- blighter [chiefly British]
- boor
- bounder
- bugger
- buzzard
- cad
- chuff
- churl
- clown
- creep
- cretin
- crud [slang]
- crumb [slang]
- cur
- dirtbag [slang]
- dog
- fink
- heel
- hound
- jerk
- joker
- louse
- lout
- pill
- rat
- rat fink
- reptile
- rotter
- schmuck [slang]
- scum
- scumbag [slang]
- scuzzball [slang]
- sleaze
- sleazebag [slang]
- sleazeball [slang]
- slime
- slimeball [slang]
- slob
- snake
- so-and-so
- sod [chiefly British]
- stinkard
- stinker
- swine
- toad
- varmint
- vermin
Verb
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
Brooke Park, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Oct. 2024
Goetz also calls out juniper and boxwood foliage for notoriously smelling like cat urine, hawthorn tree flowers for smelling like carrion, and the flashy flowers of crown fritillaria (Fritillaria imperialis) bulbs for mimicking a skunk.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2024
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2024
Facing a rookie pitcher in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park, Colorado got skunked 11-0 in a blowout that goes down as one of the most embarrassing losses in a season full of them.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skunk 
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Noun
The county also confirmed the disease in eight skunks, two raccoons, two foxes and a dog, who also bit a person.
—Brooke Park, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Oct. 2024
Goetz also calls out juniper and boxwood foliage for notoriously smelling like cat urine, hawthorn tree flowers for smelling like carrion, and the flashy flowers of crown fritillaria (Fritillaria imperialis) bulbs for mimicking a skunk.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2024
Verb
And the fact that he’s getting skunked on a rubberlegs stonefly nymph, which should be automatic, is troubling all three of us.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2024
Facing a rookie pitcher in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park, Colorado got skunked 11-0 in a blowout that goes down as one of the most embarrassing losses in a season full of them.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skunk
Dictionary Entries Near skunk
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skunk. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skunk
1 of 2 noun
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)
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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