skulking

present participle of skulk
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

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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
  • The clip then hints that the small town is anything but, with disappearances of children, creepy creatures and more lurking in its past and haunting the present.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses.
    Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The small black dog slipped away from its owners and ended up hiding under a northbound 2 train at the 14th Street station Thursday.
    Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The episode ends with Matty officially agreeing to work with Olympia to save Julian and bury Senior, though Matty has some demands, including wanting Julian — once all the dust has settled — to apologize for hiding the document.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Eileen’s determination to face down the boys and be accepted for her full self or Hedda sneaking around and steering everyone’s fates behind the scenes?
    Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2023, Mazzola is accused of contacting several adoption agencies and soliciting money while lying about wanting to have her child adopted, according to police.
    Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The Dutchman, regarded as one of the best deep-lying midfielders in Europe when he was signed from Feyenoord two summers ago, has been turned into a right-back by Hurzeler.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 26 Oct. 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Skulking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulking. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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