skinhead

noun skin·head \ ˈskin-ˌhed \

Definition of skinhead

1 :a person whose hair is cut very short

2 :a usually white male belonging to any of various sometimes violent youth gangs whose members have close-shaven hair and often espouse white-supremacist beliefs

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Recent Examples of skinhead from the Web

Neo-Nazis, KKK members, skinheads and members of various white nationalist factions clashed violently with counter-protesters in the street adjacent to Emancipation Park.

— Bloomberg.com, "White Nationalist Says He’ll Turn Himself In," 23 Aug. 2017
Don't forget, people still wear white T-shirts and denim jeans, despite their being an affectation of racist, anti-Semitic skinheads in Europe.

— stephen koff, cleveland.com, "The alt-right co-opted polo shirts. Is it OK to wear yours?," 22 Aug. 2017
There were members of the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "The road to hate: For six young men of the alt-right, Charlottesville is only the beginning," 20 Aug. 2017
White supremacy groups like the Proud Boys have attempted to mark Fred Perry polos (the brand strongly denounced the group), which have long been associated with skinheads, as their own.

— cam wolf, GQ, "The New Uniform of White Supremacy," 17 Aug. 2017
And that is what is why neo-Nazis, skinheads and Klansmen are not afraid to show their faces.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Look at This Picture. This Is America.," 15 Aug. 2017
Neo-Nazis, skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members other white supremacists made their way to the park at the same time as counter-protesters, and the two sides clashed.

— sarah rankin, The Christian Science Monitor, "Diverse opposition to white nationalist rally in Charlottesville," 14 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skinhead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of skinhead

1943

SKINHEAD Defined for English Language Learners

skinhead

noun

Definition of skinhead for English Language Learners

: a person with a shaved head; especially : a young white person who belongs to a gang whose members shave their heads and have racist beliefs

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See words that rhyme with skinhead Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about skinhead

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