bunk

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

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See synonyms for: bunk / bunked / bunking 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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Origin of bunk

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

Other definitions for bunk (2 of 4)

bunk²

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

noun Informal.

humbug; nonsense.

OTHER WORDS FOR bunk

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

See synonyms for bunk on Thesaurus.com

Origin of bunk

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

Other definitions for bunk (3 of 4)

bunk³

[ buhngk ]

/ bʌŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly New York City. to bump.

Origin of bunk

Perhaps expressive alteration of bump

Other definitions 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. 2022

How to use bunk in a sentence

My using the upper bunk meant that the chairs were still available for me to sit in before bedtime, although the headroom was now significantly limited.
Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi|Scott Butterworth|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
Most of the crew slept stacked like lumber in an 18-person bunk room and they all took turns in the rack.
How a Nuclear Submarine Officer Learned to Live in Tight Quarters - Issue 94: Evolving|Steve Weiner|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
Westmoreland said he sweated it out, shivering in his bunk until, six weeks later, he finally recovered.
Coronavirus is hitting prisons and jails hard—1 in 5 inmates has had COVID, and 1,700 have died|Bernhard Warner|December 18, 2020|Fortune
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
I remember waking up one night and looking out of my bunk to see him standing on the floor.
Uncanny Tales|Various
The first man my eyes lighted upon as I stepped inside was MacRae, humped disconsolately on the edge of a bunk.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Thereafter he went into a contemplative frame of mind to the docks, and found Sam Blake as usual in his bunk.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
He disliked the look of Cash's rough coat and sweater and cap, that hung on a nail over Cash's bunk.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
Bud set him down on the bunk, gave him a mail-order catalogue to look at, and went out again into the storm.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower

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

bunk

Origin of bunk

Words nearby bunk

Other definitions for bunk (2 of 4)

OTHER WORDS FOR bunk

Origin of bunk

Other definitions for bunk (3 of 4)

Origin of bunk

Other definitions for bunk (4 of 4)

Origin of bunk

Words related to bunk

How to use bunk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (1 of 3)

Word Origin for bunk

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for bunk (3 of 3)

Word Origin for bunk