1
as in lurking
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 hiding
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulking
Verb
-
Folklore portrays them as menacing figures lurking in the darkness who can possess those who wander too far from home.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025 -
Prices start at just $8 in the Halloween Shop, and witches and ghosts aren’t the only things lurking in there.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Word of the raid spread across the property, triggering a scramble among workers who attempted to flee, with some running to a sewage pond and others hiding in air ducts.—
Caroll Alvarado,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
-
There’s no Nurse Ratched here, however, but there is the kindly Steve, who watches out for all of them, especially Shy, who is hiding a secret from the others.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And some kids are even sneaking in game sessions during class.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As with music, doing that work and sneaking in so much sound is all about the beats and the pitch.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Maddie hides her binging and purging from Deena and Jake, lying about being pregnant to distract her husband from what’s really going on.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Skulking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulking. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share