1
as in novices
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of punks
One of these middle-aged punks (sans the beard and flannel) was a youth swimming coach named Chris Sheppard.
—
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Borrowing from the flamboyance of the New Romantics, the edginess of punks and the melancholic themes in their music, goth makeup was dark, vampiric, and vaguely dangerous—an aesthetic music fans copied when gathering at goth haunts like the Batcave in London.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
The Cuckoo’s Nest/Zubie’s parking lot in Costa Mesa became ground zero for clashes between punks and cowboys.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Aug. 2025
My dad used to hang out with the punks in Montreal in the 70s.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Borrowing from the flamboyance of the New Romantics, the edginess of punks and the melancholic themes in their music, goth makeup was dark, vampiric, and vaguely dangerous—an aesthetic music fans copied when gathering at goth haunts like the Batcave in London.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
The Cuckoo’s Nest/Zubie’s parking lot in Costa Mesa became ground zero for clashes between punks and cowboys.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Aug. 2025
My dad used to hang out with the punks in Montreal in the 70s.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punks
Noun
-
Fast forward 55 years, and the event has grown into the world’s largest and most anticipated road race, drawing professionals and novices alike to push their limits — and test running shoe innovations along the way.—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Yennefer, saving the energy of her heaviest hitters as long as possible, asks the novices-in-training to maintain a magical shield as long as possible — only ordering when their noses and eyes begin to bleed under the strain.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In The Big Lebowski, thugs mistake the titular slacker (Bridges) for the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, sending him on a wild investigation with his pal Walter (John Goodman) into a ransom plot involving Lebowski’s young wife (Tara Reid).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Their neighbor, an older Jewish woman, gets arrested and Nazi thugs brazenly loot her apartment.—
Rabih Alameddine
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Mountaineering expedition companies describe Mount Yalung Ri, located in eastern Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley, as a peak suitable for beginners with no previous experience or for those acclimatizing for higher summits of the Himalayas, which can tower above 8,000 meters.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
-
It’s considered suitable for beginners with no previous experience climbing high mountains.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rolle talked to the Miami Herald last week about what potential apprentices need to know about MDC’s pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
-
He and his apprentices host glass- blowing classes on Fridays and Saturdays (reservation required), when guests can make anything from a bowl to a tumbler to an ornament.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The other is about Chicago-style gangsters circa 1929.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Lone Star State experienced a boom in demand during the pandemic, when the rise of remote work allowed an influx of newcomers to relocate to the state, seeking affordable housing.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
One incumbent and four newcomers triumphed in Tuesday’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education races to make the third board shake-up in recent years.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The country has faced years of bloodshed from Boko Haram militants and armed bandits, whose motives are often linked more to territorial control and ransom than to religion.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punks. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share