SKULKS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

skulks 1 of 2

noun

plural of skulk

as in sneaks

someone who acts in a sly and secret manner were surprised to discover the skulk stealing from the garden was a raccoon

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skulks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of skulk

as in lurks

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in hides

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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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 skulks

Noun

Frank discovers Lee’s meddling and skulks into Arthur’s apartment and murders him. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025 Despite a restraining order against her, Lisa skulks around the twins’ school at drop-off and stalks them in the grocery store. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025

Verb

With Irene threatening Billie, Joe skulks back to his cement cell, but hears Irene torturing Billie in the next room. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulks

Noun

Available in several pastel hues and patterns, these high-vamp canvas sneaks look ultracomfy and flattering.

— Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
Sinatra and Dean Martin croon softly on the speakers (until the occasional Charli xcx track sneaks in).

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of sneaks

Verb

The Spurs superstar lurks down low near the basket, allowing guards to pressure aggressively on the perimeter.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Clements sets the scene with lively pop music and excellent period-specific costuming, though darkness lurks beneath the funky 1970s groove.

— Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of lurks

Verb

In an indirect prompt injection, an attacker hides instructions in content an AI agent will come across while doing a task—a web page or a forum post, for instance—hoping to hijack the agent.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
In regulated work, the gap between a miss and a false certainty is enormous, and a single accuracy number hides it.

— Murali Rajendran, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hides

Noun

Officials say the last animal confirmed to have rabies that wasn’t a bat was a skunk infected with the bat strain of rabies in Long Beach in 2014.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
And coyotes regulate populations of mesocarnivores like skunks and raccoons, helping support the survival of ground-nesting birds.

— CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of skunks

Verb

South Korean officials have said North Korea's recent border activities have highlighted the Koreas' disagreement over exactly where the military demarcation line lies.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
To be fair, the fault here lies equally with the scripts, which dump information without first creating suspense.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lies

Noun

Rivals are winning over the same shoppers Converse sits in a tricky spot in the shoe market between casual footwear, fashion sneakers, and lifestyle shoes.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
She was last seen wearing black leggings, a light gray pullover and white sneakers.

— Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneakers

Noun

There are leaders, lurkers, peacekeepers, instigators, and the person who only surfaces to drop an occasional thumbs-up.

— Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 May 2026
The Cubs and Padres are well clear of any lurkers for the top two spots, but the Mets have the last ticket in for now, with San Francisco, Arizona and Cincinnati all within 2 1/2 games of them.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

Definition of lurkers

Noun

Ingratitude is indeed sharper than a serpent’s tooth, and McBride isn’t wrong, but since when has Hollywood not been a pit of snakes?

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
To do this, the team of researchers used fossils and knowledge of mosasaurs' most recent living relatives – snakes and lizards like the komodo dragon – to recreate the hunting behavior of mosasaurs.

— October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of snakes

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skulking

skulks

skull

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“Skulks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulks. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of skulks

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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