bunk

1
[ buhngk ]
See synonyms for: bunkbunkedbunking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a built-in platform bed, as on a ship.

  2. Informal. any bed.

  1. a cabin used for sleeping quarters, as in a summer camp; bunkhouse.

  2. a trough for feeding cattle.

verb (used without object)
  1. Informal. to occupy a bunk or any sleeping quarters: Joe and Bill bunked together at camp.

verb (used with object)
  1. to provide with a place to sleep.

Origin of bunk

1
First recorded in 1750–60; back formation from bunker

Other definitions for bunk (2 of 4)

bunk2
[ buhngk ]

nounInformal.

Origin of bunk

2
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; short for bunkum

Other words for bunk

Other definitions for bunk (3 of 4)

bunk3
[ buhngk ]

verb (used with or without object)
  1. Chiefly New York City. to bump.

Origin of bunk

3
Perhaps expressive alteration of bump

Other definitions for bunk (4 of 4)

bunk4
[ buhngk ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to absent oneself from (school, work, etc.): to bunk a history class.

verb (used without object)
  1. to run off or away; flee: When they heard the distant police sirens, they dropped the bag of jewelry and silver and bunked.

Origin of bunk

4
First recorded in 1865–70; perhaps special use of bunk1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bunk in a sentence

  • First, she says she won't come and live in a hut where five men besides myself are bunking.

    West Wind Drift | George Barr McCutcheon
  • The pain brought me back to reality, and I started planning costume production, training rosters, bunking.

  • "There's nothing to prevent your bunking somewhere else," the owner of the animal replied, quite sharply.

  • He said he didnt know where he could put eleven people, but he guessed as long as we were scouts, we wouldnt mind bunking up.

    Roy Blakeley's Silver Fox Patrol | Percy Keese Fitzhugh
  • Not that I blame you for bunking,—Stuart smiled—the strain was intolerable.

    Twos and Threes | G. B. Stern

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (1 of 3)

bunk1

/ (bʌŋk) /


noun
  1. a narrow shelflike bed fixed along a wall

  2. short for bunk bed

  1. informal any place where one sleeps

verb
  1. (intr often foll by down) to prepare to sleep: he bunked down on the floor

  2. (intr) to occupy a bunk or bed

  1. (tr) to provide with a bunk or bed

Origin of bunk

1
C19: probably short for bunker

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (2 of 3)

bunk2

/ (bʌŋk) /


noun
  1. informal short for bunkum (def. 1)

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (3 of 3)

bunk3

/ (bʌŋk) British slang /


noun
  1. a hurried departure, usually under suspicious circumstances (esp in the phrase do a bunk)

verb
  1. (usually foll by off) to play truant from (school, work, etc)

Origin of bunk

3
C19: perhaps from bunk 1 (in the sense: to occupy a bunk, hence a hurried departure, as on a ship)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012