skulks 1 of 2

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
1
as in lurks
to move about in a sly or secret manner I thought I saw someone skulking about in the shadows

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2
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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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulks
Noun
  • Russell Wilson ran two conventional sneaks this season with no pushers.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Farther west, some rain could occur over the central Gulf Coast, but amounts will be dependent on how much sneaks onshore, with heavier amounts offshore, the prediction center said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Beneath such moves often lurks a selfish desire to soothe increasing anxiety, unrest, and potentially even boredom.
    Kurt Strovink, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Behind a black iron gate, the door is marked with a wreath, and a cat sometimes lurks in the window.
    Lizzie Kane, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For even more ooey-gooey sweetness, the Apple Crumble Center of the Roll hides a dollop of that same cozy apple crumble in the heart of the cinnamon roll, turning every mouthful into a mini holiday moment.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
  • However, their stability has been restricted by quantum noise, which hides the atoms’ natural rhythm.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sure enough, there was a cute little skunk staring back at me.
    Steven Sullivan, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Rabies can be found in many other wildlife species, including raccoons, skunks, coyotes and foxes.
    Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • There are no direction markers, no information board to explain that here, nestled between an air-conditioner repair shop and a gaming cafe, lies one of Brazilian football’s holy sites.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • At the heart of the current dispute lies a question of legal timing — and humanity.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But the skunks know the insects are there.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Animals that typically carry rabies are bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Just as he’s done with hip-hop prior, Bradley treats the empire of sneakers with a literary and scholastic sense that few have prior.
    Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Both adidas and Avirex carry deep New York legacies — sneakers on the streets, leather jackets in the clubs.
    Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Skulks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulks. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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