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
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 Dec. 2025
Their 1995 album has the rickety punk sound of suburban nightmares, jagged landslides of noise for vanquishing all the dread, real and imagined, just outside their windows.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Described as Superbad meets Derry Girls, Bender is based on the late-’70s, post-punk Dublin coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who penned the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
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Noun
The Pop artist had seen the designer’s teddy bear coat on Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, the German socialite known as the punk princess, and wanted to get one for Madonna’s birthday.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 Dec. 2025
Their 1995 album has the rickety punk sound of suburban nightmares, jagged landslides of noise for vanquishing all the dread, real and imagined, just outside their windows.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Devo traces the Ohio art-school collective’s evolution from post-punk performance artists to one of the most subversive acts of the ’80s.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Described as Superbad meets Derry Girls, Bender is based on the late-’70s, post-punk Dublin coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who penned the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Nov. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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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