1
a
: a woody tinder : punk
b
: any of various fungi used to make tinder
3
: spirit, liveliness
spunked; spunking; spunks
Synonyms
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
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023
She’s got spunk in spades, and her arc is perhaps the most devastating in a film full of suffering.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 DIY Twig Halloween Wreath
Simple meets spook-tacular in this easy homemade wreath, which gives your front door just the right amount of Halloween spunk without going overboard.
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 9 Aug. 2023
Nominated for 17 Emmy awards, and the winner of seven, Asner -- who has died at the age of 91 -- achieved TV immortality as the cranky news director at a Minneapolis TV station in the 1970s comedy, who could recognize spunk in his new employee, Mary Richards, and famously hated it.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 29 Aug. 2021
Bailey nails the iconic moments (that head toss) and the high notes, but also her character’s combination of spunk and innocence.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
Colorado showed some early spunk Saturday before quickly folding, the winless Buffaloes unlike that governing board that remains poised to threaten the Bruins’ move to the Big Ten Conference.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2022
Kate Walsh, Chandra Wilson, Camilla Luddington, and Stefania Spampinato on 'Grey's Anatomy' | Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC The woman adores Addison for her bravery and spunk.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2023
Reese Witherspoon, who first made a splash 30 years ago, has never lost a drop of her sunny smart charismatic movie-star spunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Feb. 2023
Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022
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Noun
The Longhorns and Sooners have always been Big 12 enemies that inspire more spunk from conference opponents, but hearing it from the commissioner is a different story.
—Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023
She’s got spunk in spades, and her arc is perhaps the most devastating in a film full of suffering.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 DIY Twig Halloween Wreath
Simple meets spook-tacular in this easy homemade wreath, which gives your front door just the right amount of Halloween spunk without going overboard.
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 9 Aug. 2023
Nominated for 17 Emmy awards, and the winner of seven, Asner -- who has died at the age of 91 -- achieved TV immortality as the cranky news director at a Minneapolis TV station in the 1970s comedy, who could recognize spunk in his new employee, Mary Richards, and famously hated it.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 29 Aug. 2021
Bailey nails the iconic moments (that head toss) and the high notes, but also her character’s combination of spunk and innocence.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
Colorado showed some early spunk Saturday before quickly folding, the winless Buffaloes unlike that governing board that remains poised to threaten the Bruins’ move to the Big Ten Conference.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2022
Kate Walsh, Chandra Wilson, Camilla Luddington, and Stefania Spampinato on 'Grey's Anatomy' | Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC The woman adores Addison for her bravery and spunk.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2023
Reese Witherspoon, who first made a splash 30 years ago, has never lost a drop of her sunny smart charismatic movie-star spunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Feb. 2023
Verb
The Wild already had spunk, but Deslauriers has crafted a nice brand in the pest-nuisance-and-hitting market.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spunk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near spunk
Cite this Entry
“Spunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spunk. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
spunk
nounˈspəŋk
Etymology
Noun
from earlier spunk "tinder," from Scottish Gaelic spong "sponge, tinder," from Latin spongia "sponge"
Word Origin
Spunk now means "spirit, readiness to fight against odds, courage." It is somewhat surprising to learn that it comes from a Latin word for something that seems quite the opposite: "sponge." The Latin word for "sponge," spongia, came into Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language of the Scottish Highlands, as spong and meant "sponge." But it also came to mean "tinder," the light, dry material used to start a fire. Tinder was often dry, spongy wood that would ignite easily and looked like sponge. A person who fought courageously and without complaining, especially against strong opponents, was thought of as catching fire. This flaring up of the human spirit was compared to the bursting into flame of tinder. Thus, a person who had this quality was said to have spunk.
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