skull

1 of 2

noun

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 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

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
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, body size, skull and other features, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 This three-pound lump of gray matter in our skulls processes our thoughts, memories, feelings, and unconscious physiology. Andrew Mawson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Miniaturized frogs tend to have lost fingers and toes, grow extra bony material on their skulls and vertebrae and lack other bony elements, per the study. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 Mix the modern appliances, backsplash, and cabinets with more rustic, country touches like the wooden frame and animal skulls to add interest to your space. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024 Others believe that sniffing the brain of a vulture, sleeping with a skull under their pillow, or carrying a foot around the neck could bring one good luck. Gertrude Kitongo, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 Samuel Klaas’s saloon-style set, with its heavy wood paneling, cow skulls and cactuses, provides a flexible home for the show’s swift scene shifts (a bed appears amusingly out of nowhere at one point). Missy Frederick, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Galarza said the bleeding caused the brain to swell, which doctors tried to address by removing a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Hajji Aman had scars running up and down his skull, from when he was scalped by Spetsnaz. Jamil Jan Kochai, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Verb
Another decade passed and, in 2019, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office received a grant to begin DNA analysis on more than 100 sets of unidentified remains, the Mount Hood skull among them. oregonlive, 22 Oct. 2020 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 This leaves one big question: Why were people drilling into one another’s skulls 5,000 years ago in the first place? Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 25 Apr. 2018 Someone took out a golf driver and skulled the top off of a full can of Bud Light and drank what was left. Byron McCauley, Cincinnati.com, 26 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skull.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of skull was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near skull

Cite this Entry

“Skull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skull. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on skull

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