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British

bunk

¹

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bunk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Informal. any bed.

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

a trough for feeding cattle.

verb (used without object)

Informal. to occupy a bunk or any sleeping quarters: Joe and Bill bunked together at camp.

verb (used with object)

to provide with a place to sleep.

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A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

Often it means something is impossible.

It’s another way to agree with someone.

It serves as an apology.

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Origin of bunk

¹

First recorded in 1750–60; back formation from bunker

Words nearby bunk

bungwall, Bunin, bunion, bunionectomy, bunionette, bunk, bunk bed, bunker, bunkerage, Bunker, Archie, bunker buster

Definition for bunk (2 of 4)

bunk²

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

noun Informal.

humbug; nonsense.

Origin of bunk

²

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

SYNONYMS FOR bunk ON THESAURUS.COM

baloney, rot, hogwash, applesauce, bull, hooey.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bunk ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for bunk (3 of 4)

bunk³

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly New York City. to bump.

Origin of bunk

³

Perhaps expressive alteration of bump

Definition for bunk (4 of 4)

bunk⁴

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

British Slang.

verb (used with object)

to absent oneself from (school, work, etc.): to bunk a history class.

verb (used without object)

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bunk

The two-bedroom condo was subsidized by the local running store so the six postcollegiate athletes, who all slept in bunk beds, could have an opportunity and some breathing room financially to train and race.
Inside a secret running program at Nike and a win-at-all-costs corporate culture|Rachel King|October 6, 2020|Fortune
Chewonki spent the summer reorganizing campus so there’s more space in the bunks and dining hall.
College Kids Are Flocking to Outdoor Education Programs|Sara Harrison|September 26, 2020|Outside Online
Half of it is taken up by the bunk beds and improvised benches.
Here’s a Reform Even the Koch Brothers and George Soros Can Agree On|Tina Brown|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Barba offered me a line of cocaine as we sat on his bunk bed covered by posters of musicians and half-naked women.
Cocaine, Politicians and Wives: Inside the World’s Most Bizarre Prison|Jason Batansky|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the prefab dorms on the American base in Kandahar, I ran into my neighbor from the bunk next door.
When I Met Robin Williams in Afghanistan|Matthew Kaminski|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We spent our days and nights with the kids at the center, sleeping on bunk beds with thin mattresses.
China Doesn't Want You to See the Internet Addiction Film 'Web Junkie'|Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than 40 of us crammed into each darkened bay lined with bunk beds.
How I’ll End the War: The Trip Over to Afghanistan|Nick Willard|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the same instant a short, scrawny, red-faced man sprang from a bunk in the corner.
Riddle of the Storm|Roy J. Snell
I tried to lift myself up by the supports of the bunk, and succeeded in getting on my feet.
Dick Cheveley|W. H. G. Kingston
He glanced at the third bunk and began whistling cheerfully.
Ross Grant Tenderfoot|John Garland
"Morning," said Pierre le Rouge cheerily, and swung off the bunk to the floor.
Riders of the Silences|John Frederick
But holding to the edge of his bunk, weakened and ill though he was, the power of his will still ruled his body.
Mr. Wicker's Window|Carley Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (1 of 3)

bunk¹

/ (bʌŋk) /

noun

a narrow shelflike bed fixed along a wall

short for bunk bed

informal any place where one sleeps

verb

(intr often foll by down) to prepare to sleephe bunked down on the floor

(intr) to occupy a bunk or bed

(tr) to provide with a bunk or bed

Word Origin for bunk

C19: probably short for bunker

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (2 of 3)

bunk²

/ (bʌŋk) /

noun

informal short for bunkum (def. 1)

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (3 of 3)

bunk³

/ (bʌŋk) British slang /

noun

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

verb

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

Word Origin for bunk

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

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