plural punks
1
: a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian
2
3
4
[probably partly from punk entry 3]
: nonsense, foolishness
5
archaic
: a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker
1
a
: of or relating to punk rock
b
: relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock
2
: very poor : inferior
played a punk game
3
: being in poor health
said that she was feeling punk
1
: wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder
2
: a preparation (as of a stick of coated wood) that burns slowly and is used to ignite fuses especially of fireworks
Examples of punk in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs
the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family
claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk
Adjective
she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her
the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk
Recent Examples on the Web
Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 12 Jan. 2026
Danielle Goldberg scored on precision rather than volume, dressing winner Jessie Buckley in cool-girl Dior by Jonathan Anderson — slim trousers with a silk tunic — and then pivoting to oversized, punk-leaning Ferragamo for nominee Eva Victor.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 Jan. 2026
Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.
—Andrew Holter, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
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Noun
Kwasniewski-Kelvin took up guitar in primary school, quickly adopting a taste for skater-adjacent punk-pop.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 12 Jan. 2026
Danielle Goldberg scored on precision rather than volume, dressing winner Jessie Buckley in cool-girl Dior by Jonathan Anderson — slim trousers with a silk tunic — and then pivoting to oversized, punk-leaning Ferragamo for nominee Eva Victor.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Dave Allen, the bassist of British post-punk group Gang of Four, died at age 69 on April 5.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.
—Andrew Holter, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punk. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punk
2 of 2 adjective1
: very poor in quality
played a punk game
2
: being in poor health
feeling punk today
3
a
: of or relating to punk rock
b
: relating to or being a style (as of clothing or hair) first inspired by punk rock
Etymology
Noun
origin unknown
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