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spunk

noun
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\ ˈspəŋk How to pronounce spunk (audio) \

Definition of spunk

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a woody tinder : punk
b : any of various fungi used to make tinder
2 : mettle, pluck
3 : spirit, liveliness

spunk

verb
spunked; spunking; spunks

Definition of spunk (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

dialect
: to show spirit —usually used with up
Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about spunk

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Synonyms & Antonyms for spunk

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Noun

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Examples of spunk in a Sentence

Noun That little girl has a lot of spunk. had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Within two months, the sisters have amassed thousands of followers and charmed the hearts of people around the world for their spunk, charisma, and sweet interactions — often recorded in videos on their account, @tiptontwins. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Britain's Oldest Twins Say They're 95 and Thriving Because of 'No Sex and Plenty of Guinness'," 10 Sep. 2019 The Wings have shown some spunk in the past two games. — Dana Gauruder, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings' defenseman improvises for rare goal in second straight win," 11 Nov. 2019 Angelica, on the other hand, is a young pyromaniac who brings the spunk into Josh's group of misfits. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Exclusive: Watch This To Learn How You Can Nail the "Daybreak" Cheermazon Look for Halloween," 25 Oct. 2019 She will be well remembered for her spunk, and her knowledge of Windsor history, and was oftentimes sought out for information about the town. — courant.com, "Elizabeth Parker," 20 Oct. 2019 Since then, a talent deal with Nickelodeon has crowned her America’s most famous children’s entertainer–a singular star with more spunk than Shirley Temple and the merchandizing power of both Olsen twins. — Jamie Lauren Keiles, Time, "'What Do People Want Me to Do? Wear Black Every Day?': How Child Star JoJo Siwa Built Her Sparkly Empire," 22 Aug. 2019 Gruden demands performance, but also loves guys with spunk and swagger. — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "Antonio Brown floats onto Raiders’ stage with a thud. What’s next?," 14 Aug. 2019 Sure, Danica and her acolytes have all the power, but Sam and Judi have youthful spunk and a keen desire to live. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Beware the friendly neighborhood devil worshippers in Satanic Panic trailer," 2 Aug. 2019 Not only is there a spunk to our efforts, but often positive change result[s]. — Teen Vogue, "Who Was Maggie Kuhn, Co-Founder of the Elder Activist Group the Gray Panthers?," 2 Aug. 2019

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

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First Known Use of spunk

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for spunk

Noun

Scottish Gaelic spong sponge, tinder, from Middle Irish spongc, from Latin spongia sponge

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Time Traveler for spunk

Time Traveler

The first known use of spunk was in 1582

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Statistics for spunk

Last Updated

10 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Spunk.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spunk. Accessed 27 January 2020.

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More Definitions for spunk

spunk

noun
How to pronounce spunk (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of spunk

informal : spirit, courage, and determination

See the full definition for spunk in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spunk

noun
\ ˈspəŋk How to pronounce spunk (audio) \

Kids Definition of spunk

: courage, spirit

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More from Merriam-Webster on spunk

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spunk

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with spunk

Spanish Central: Translation of spunk

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