as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something
I have to wash my hands; I got gunk all over them somehow
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gunk
The baking soda and vinegar work together to dislodge and loosen gunk blocking the drain.
—
Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 1 Apr. 2026
Enhancing the extraterrestrial vibe are the two clear, plastic tubes (called drains) sprouting from their heads, through which all manner of blood and ooze exit the face, dripping into suction bulbs that dangle below their ears, storing the gunk.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Fresh off a surprise cosign from Aespa member Giselle, zayok is one of the leaders of an amorphous digital scene that includes gunk and sydney runner, whose music iterates on carbine-y wonkiness to form a new kind of balladry halfway between SoundCloud IDM, rap, and voice memo.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The Columbia Venturetrot Boot is made out of vulcanized rubber (hardened by heat and sulfur) for durability, and mud and gunk just slide right off of it.
—Lisa Jhung, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 1 Apr. 2026
Enhancing the extraterrestrial vibe are the two clear, plastic tubes (called drains) sprouting from their heads, through which all manner of blood and ooze exit the face, dripping into suction bulbs that dangle below their ears, storing the gunk.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Fresh off a surprise cosign from Aespa member Giselle, zayok is one of the leaders of an amorphous digital scene that includes gunk and sydney runner, whose music iterates on carbine-y wonkiness to form a new kind of balladry halfway between SoundCloud IDM, rap, and voice memo.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The Columbia Venturetrot Boot is made out of vulcanized rubber (hardened by heat and sulfur) for durability, and mud and gunk just slide right off of it.
—Lisa Jhung, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunk
Noun
-
The dirt-only diamond was loamy and soft and home plate was totally submerged in a muddy puddle, a tributary of which also snaked down the third-base line.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
-
Why Baking Soda Is Best For Grout Like white vinegar, baking soda tends to be a tried-and-true household cleaner for it's effectiveness at removing dirt and grime.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The highest-scoring, fastest-flying team on the ice this season just can't seem to completely solve the lock-down, muck-up-the-middle approach of the Los Angeles Kings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Popular with airboaters, froggers and fishermen, the swampy muck beneath the water may have acted as a pincushion, essentially swallowing the disabled DC-9 aircraft.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
America’s refusal dates back to the nineteen-nineties; considering this, the current Administration’s actions can be seen only as a shameful continuation of our country’s failure to respect human rights, even on its own soil.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
But what about Hong Kong, the most international and open city on Chinese soil?—
Brian Wong,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
When the basin’s draining began in late March, some in the community worried about turtles being left behind in the sludge.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
First, in the pretreatment step, the sludge was heated to high temperatures and exposed to oxygen.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When maintenance issues reached a crisis point with sewage overflow in 2023, residents turned to the attorney general to intervene.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Raw sewage poured into the Hudson and Chicago Rivers.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
That includes self emptying debris into a washable bin that should hold up to a month's worth of crud, cleaning its own mop pad with hot water and drying it with hot air, and self-refilling with clean water from a tank inside its dock.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Not a dog barking or a feral cat knocking the lid off the garbage.—
Ellen Bass,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The protester who threw a garbage bin was arrested for reckless endangerment shortly after cops arrive, officials said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunk. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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