Illustration of skunk
- skunk 1a
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
Synonyms of skunk
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
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026
That means don’t send your dog out to charge a skunk, and don’t go outside banging on pots and pans or yelling, which is only going to make the skunk feel threatened.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026
That skunking, hot-cheeked anticipation of your body turning on you.
—Essence, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Only about 30 percent of all nests evade their many predators, including skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and even domestic dogs and cats.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026
That means don’t send your dog out to charge a skunk, and don’t go outside banging on pots and pans or yelling, which is only going to make the skunk feel threatened.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
That means two out of three Minnesota turkey hunters are going skunked this spring.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 16 Apr. 2026
That skunking, hot-cheeked anticipation of your body turning on you.
—Essence, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for skunk
Cite this Entry
“Skunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skunk. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skunk
1 of 2 noun
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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
