Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

skulk

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of skulk

1 to move about in a sly or secret manner
  • I thought I saw someone skulking about in the shadows
Synonyms of skulk

lurk, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, slide, slink, slip, snake, sneak, steal
Words Related to skulk

crawl, creep, inch, worm

pad, tiptoe
2 to remain out of sight
  • The officers caught the hapless robber skulking behind some trash cans.
Synonyms of skulk

hide, hole up, lie, lurk, repose
Words Related to skulk

slink, sneak

avoid, elude, evade
Phrases Synonymous with skulk

lie low, sit tight
Near Antonyms of skulk

come out, materialize, show up, turn up
Antonyms of skulk

appear

Synonym Discussion of skulk

lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention. lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.
    • suspicious men lurking in alleyways
skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.
    • something skulking in the shadows
slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.
    • slunk around the corner
sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.
    • sneaked out early

skulk

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of skulk

someone who acts in a sly and secret manner
  • What is that skulk up to now?
Synonyms of skulk

lurker, skulker, sneak, sneaker
Words Related to skulk

skunk, snake, weasel

sharper, slicker, swindler

snoop, snooper, spy

stalker

Learn More about skulk

  1. See words that rhyme with skulk Dictionary: Definition of skulk Spanish Central: Translation of skulk Nglish: Translation of skulk for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up skulk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

garrulous

play

talkative or wordy

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image564383649
12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9
'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde
A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

image1481409085
9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
cow-coming-home
Farm Idioms Quiz

Not your children's farm quiz.

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game