SKULKED Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

skulked

verb

past tense of skulk

as in lurked

to move about in a sly or secret manner I thought I saw someone skulking about in the shadows

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in hid

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

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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 One roach skulked under a food prep table. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025 Soon after My Bloody Valentine skulked into the Wembley Arena spotlights, the initial roar of some 12,000 fans abated. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025 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

Beneath all the splendor, the couture, the balls, and the opera lurked an undercurrent of hatred, one that would fester and erupt in ways both insidious and catastrophic.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
But a trap lurked within that framework.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 June 2026

Definition of lurked

Verb

Since 2017, Hebden has built up a tidy discography of sub rosa loosies and EPs under the alias, and even snuck out an ultra-limited vinyl anthology of them in 2021; some of those tracks first surfaced on the Four Tet album Parallel, in 2020.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026
On Thursday, a man named Andrew Truelove allegedly snuck past a security guard on the Today show set and made his way toward the co-hosts in search of Today’s Al Roker, who was not on-screen at the time.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026

Definition of sneaked

Verb

The stock has fallen about 20% in July and briefly slipped below its $135 IPO price on Wednesday for the first time.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 17 July 2026
And little by little, Venezuela slipped off the front pages — even though, for millions of people, the work of rebuilding is just getting started.

— Cristina Guevara, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026

Definition of slipped

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skulked

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“Skulked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulked. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of skulked

verb

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