spunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈspəŋk 

1

a

: a woody tinder : punk

b

: any of various fungi used to make tinder

2

: mettle, pluck

3

: spirit, liveliness

spunk

2 of 2

verb

spunked; spunking; spunks

intransitive verb

dialect

: to show spirit

—usually used with up

Synonyms

Noun

• backbone
• constancy
• fiber
• fortitude
• grit
• grittiness
• guts
• intestinal fortitude
• pluck

Examples of spunk in a Sentence

Noun

That little girl has a lot of spunk.

had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Easter, Yarl was full of spunk, hiding eggs in his aunt’s backyard for his younger cousins. —Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

Bennett plays Sandra with a keen eye for how youthful spunk can, over the years, turn into insufferable aimlessness. —Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024

Rhoda was the sass to Mary's spunk, the head scarf to Mary's beret. —Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024

Compared to the mad days of their gestation there are no mysteries of shock and awe, no strut and spunk. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2024

Shug Avery, is a jazz singer who has spunk and pizazz. —Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 5 Jan. 2024

The Longhorns and Sooners have always been Big 12 enemies that inspire more spunk from conference opponents, but hearing it from the commissioner is a different story. —Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023

She’s got spunk in spades, and her arc is perhaps the most devastating in a film full of suffering. —Scottie Andrew, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 DIY Twig Halloween Wreath Simple meets spook-tacular in this easy homemade wreath, which gives your front door just the right amount of Halloween spunk without going overboard. —Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 9 Aug. 2023

Verb

The Wild already had spunk, but Deslauriers has crafted a nice brand in the pest-nuisance-and-hitting market. —Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Scottish Gaelic spong sponge, tinder, from Middle Irish spongc, from Latin spongia sponge

First Known Use

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spunk

noun

ˈspəŋk

1

: courage, pluck

2

: spirit entry 1 sense 4

Etymology

Noun

from earlier spunk "tinder," from Scottish Gaelic spong "sponge, tinder," from Latin spongia "sponge"

Word Origin

Spunk now means "spirit, readiness to fight against odds, courage." It is somewhat surprising to learn that it comes from a Latin word for something that seems quite the opposite: "sponge." The Latin word for "sponge," spongia, came into Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language of the Scottish Highlands, as spong and meant "sponge." But it also came to mean "tinder," the light, dry material used to start a fire. Tinder was often dry, spongy wood that would ignite easily and looked like sponge. A person who fought courageously and without complaining, especially against strong opponents, was thought of as catching fire. This flaring up of the human spirit was compared to the bursting into flame of tinder. Thus, a person who had this quality was said to have spunk.