bunk

¹ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

noun

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

2. Informal. any bed.

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

4. a trough for feeding cattle.

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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.

bunk ² American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

noun

Informal.

1. humbug; nonsense.

   Synonyms:

   hooey, bull, applesauce, hogwash, rot, baloney

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bunk ³ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

1. Chiefly New York City. to bump.

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bunk ⁴ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

verb (used with object)

1. to absent oneself from (school, work, etc.).

   to bunk a history class.

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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.

idioms

1. do a bunk, to leave hastily, especially under suspicious circumstances; run away.

bunk ¹ British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

1. a narrow shelflike bed fixed along a wall

2. short for bunk bed

3. informal any place where one sleeps

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verb

1. to prepare to sleep

   he bunked down on the floor

2. (intr) to occupy a bunk or bed

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

bunk ² British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

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

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verb

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

bunk ³ British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

1. informal short for bunkum

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Etymology

Origin of bunk¹

First recorded in 1750–60; back formation from bunker

Origin of bunk²

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

Origin of bunk³

Perhaps expressive alteration of bump

Origin of bunk⁴

First recorded in 1865–70; perhaps special use of bunk ¹

Explanation

A bunk is a bed that's built above another bed. Twin sisters might argue nightly over who gets the top bunk. You might find a bunk bed in a child's bedroom or a train's sleeper car. Sometimes the rough bed in a rustic cabin is also called a bunk — and you could say, "I'll bunk in the cabin tonight." Informally, bunk is also nonsense: "How can you believe that bunk?" The bed meaning is short for bunker, while the "foolishness" definition is from bunkum, named for a politician's long, dull speech in 1820, in Buncombe, North Carolina.

Example Sentences

It’s possible Suozzi never gave up his C Street bunk while he was out of Congress.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

The new rules do not apply to notorious "coffin homes", cubicles stacked on top of each other like bunk beds in shabby dormitories.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

A large basement space has been outfitted with several beds, while an upstairs room features bunk beds.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

You will be able to book a four-hour session in a lie-flat bunk during your flight for an extra $495.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

She got into her bottom bunk and thought about a magazine photograph she had seen in camp, of American soldiers sleeping in a room much like this one.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• baloney
• rubbish