skunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈskəŋk 

plural skunks also skunk

1

a

: any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (family Mephitidae, especially genus Mephitis) related to weasels that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected

b

: the fur of a skunk

2

: an obnoxious or disliked person

Illustration of skunk

• skunk 1a

skunk

2 of 2

verb

skunked; skunking; skunks

transitive verb

1

a

: defeat

b

: to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : shut out

2

: to fail to pay

also : cheat

Synonyms

Noun

• dog
• bastard
• clown
• jerk
• rat
• snake
• joker

Verb

• bomb
• smoke [slang]
• overcome
• whip
• cream
• skin
• bury
• dust
• master
• snow under
• blow away
• throw
• wax [slang]
• trim
• upset
• rout
• smother
• wallop
• beat
• thrash
• annihilate
• paste

Examples of skunk in a Sentence

Noun

Her brother's a low-down, dirty skunk.

he's nothing but a dirty, rotten skunk

Verb

we ended up skunking them, as our goalie was able to prevent the other team from scoring a single goal

our football team consistently skunks our traditional rivals Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While bears are easily the biggest fear in some parks, a pack of hungry racoons or an inquisitive skunk aren’t to be messed with either. —Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Right before arriving at our campsite, a skunk ran across the front of the car, did a handstand, and then disappeared into the scrub. —Benji Jones, Vox, 21 May 2025

Verb

The party got skunked in every battleground state and lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years. —Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 May 2025

Sam had a sudden flash of some decades old cartoon, an anthropomorphized rabbit or skunk with its jaw dropped, a foghorn like awooga accompanying the lolling of its cartoonishly long tongue. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier squuncke, from a Massachusett reflex of Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, fox-like animal

First Known Use

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing skunk

• (as) drunk as a skunk
• skunk cabbage
• striped skunk

Rhymes for skunk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk

Kids Definition

skunk

1 of 2 noun

ˈskəŋk 

plural skunks also skunk

1

: any of various black-and-white North American mammals related to the weasels that give off a fluid with a sharp and unpleasant smell when threatened

2

: a mean hateful person

skunk

2 of 2 verb

: to defeat completely

especially : to prevent entirely from scoring or succeeding : shut out

Etymology

Noun

from a word in Massachusett (an extinct Algonquian language spoken in Massachusetts)

Geographical Definition

Skunk

geographical name

river 264 miles (425 kilometers) long in southeastern Iowa flowing southeast into the Mississippi River