plural punks
1
: a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian
2
3
4
[probably partly from punk entry 3]
: nonsense, foolishness
5
archaic
: prostitute
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
Synonyms
Examples of punk in a Sentence
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
Hazlitt, 10 May 2023
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Sire presciently signed or distributed music by a variety of top-flight punk and post-punk groups from the U.S. and abroad.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 2 Apr. 2023
Absolutely, particularly in 1976 and ’77 when all those English punk bands were genuinely punk.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2021
What began as a penchant for a slightly punk aesthetic soon became the perfect partner to her own brand of old-school glamour.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2023
Paramore have shifted their sound before, trying out post-punk and even synth-pop, and This Is Why showcases yet another major vibe change.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2023
For January 1 This is a post-punk and new wave song.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023
During a day that saw no less than Dolly Parton make her SXSW debut, the hottest ticket was arguably for Wet Leg, the Isle of Wight duo whose charmingly post-punk songs have made their upcoming album one of the most anticipated of the year.
—Christian Hoard, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2022
Kincaid programmed much of the station’s regular playlist, a musical soup blending everything from blues, bluegrass, post-punk and other forms of rock to jazz, classical and big band selections.
—Mark Woolsey, ajc, 13 Jan. 2022
Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Mexican psychedelic punk band Bastidas!, psychedelic Latin exotica pop band Hidden Gems and DJ Santi help make dreams come true.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Thirty years later, Azerrad (also the author of the beloved indie/punk history Our Band Could Be Your Life) has a new version of his Nirvana book out.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023
The world of Spider-Punk was influenced by ‘70s London punk, as the artists used razor blades to cut up newspapers, album covers and posters to give that world its edge.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
To promote the new tour dates, Blink did one of the most online things any punk band can do: played a set at a Denny’s.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
When all my friends were getting into their first rebellious punk music, that’s what Eminem was for me.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2023
The punk group reflected on the surprise club show — opened by the frontman’s 25-year-old son Jakob Armstrong’s group Ultra Q — on Instagram.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023
And that night, as a punk band played, Teran, Lyman, and friends bobbed their heads to the music.
—Hilary Beaumont, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
Adjective
There was no one like me in his classroom, not the oversexed women with their careful, edited looks, not the punk and post-punk kids.
—Hazlitt, 10 May 2023
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Sire presciently signed or distributed music by a variety of top-flight punk and post-punk groups from the U.S. and abroad.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 2 Apr. 2023
Absolutely, particularly in 1976 and ’77 when all those English punk bands were genuinely punk.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2021
What began as a penchant for a slightly punk aesthetic soon became the perfect partner to her own brand of old-school glamour.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2023
Paramore have shifted their sound before, trying out post-punk and even synth-pop, and This Is Why showcases yet another major vibe change.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2023
For January 1 This is a post-punk and new wave song.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023
During a day that saw no less than Dolly Parton make her SXSW debut, the hottest ticket was arguably for Wet Leg, the Isle of Wight duo whose charmingly post-punk songs have made their upcoming album one of the most anticipated of the year.
—Christian Hoard, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2022
Kincaid programmed much of the station’s regular playlist, a musical soup blending everything from blues, bluegrass, post-punk and other forms of rock to jazz, classical and big band selections.
—Mark Woolsey, ajc, 13 Jan. 2022
Noun
The musician — who found major success during the 1980s with his Irish Celtic punk band — was diagnosed with viral encephalitis in 2022, according to Sky News.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Mexican psychedelic punk band Bastidas!, psychedelic Latin exotica pop band Hidden Gems and DJ Santi help make dreams come true.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Thirty years later, Azerrad (also the author of the beloved indie/punk history Our Band Could Be Your Life) has a new version of his Nirvana book out.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023
The world of Spider-Punk was influenced by ‘70s London punk, as the artists used razor blades to cut up newspapers, album covers and posters to give that world its edge.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
To promote the new tour dates, Blink did one of the most online things any punk band can do: played a set at a Denny’s.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
When all my friends were getting into their first rebellious punk music, that’s what Eminem was for me.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2023
The punk group reflected on the surprise club show — opened by the frontman’s 25-year-old son Jakob Armstrong’s group Ultra Q — on Instagram.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023
And that night, as a punk band played, Teran, Lyman, and friends bobbed their heads to the music.
—Hilary Beaumont, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing punk
Dictionary Entries Near punk
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punk. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on punk
Britannica English: Translation of punk for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about punk
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