skulked

past tense of skulk
1
as in snuck
to move about in a sly or secret manner I thought I saw someone skulking about in the shadows

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in lurked
to remain out of sight the animal control officers caught the stray cat that had been skulking behind some trash cans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 skulked Money speaks, the land listens, where the Anarchist skulked, where the horsethief plied his trade, we fishers of Americans will cast our nets of perfect ten-acre mesh, leveled and varmint-proofed, ready to build on. Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025 The models skulked through The Box like zombies from a past life. Nadja Sayej, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulked
Verb
  • The terrain was steep and mountainous, the forests were thick, and threats from buffalo and leopards lurked in the wilderness.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Was Blass’s mental block a sign of what lurked on the other side of these quotidian failures?
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, anyone who actually followed through on those long-ago threats to quit the NFL seems to have snuck back into the fold.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Charlie McAvoy came down from his right point spot and sneaked through a shot that goalie Akira Schmid could not handle.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Earlier in the week at the Nobody Wants This season 2 premiere, Bell admitted that her upcoming anniversary slipped her mind.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Having slipped the painting under his clothing, Peruggia escaped the building undetected and wasn’t caught for two years.
    Caitlin Danaher, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skulked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulked. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on skulked

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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