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

Example Sentences

Mal and Christopher found bunks belowdecks—his had a deep red counterpane, embroidered with a dragon, hers a yellow one embossed with a griffin—and slept.

From Literature

I’ll tell you the truth—the orphanage was horrible, and I had to sleep on the top of a triple-decker bunk bed that was so high, I was squished against the ceiling.

From Literature

As we perch on the top bunk of the carriage where he is sitting with another friend, Stas is frank about the impact of the war on his generation.

From BBC

Our Wolf Den Suite, which includes bunk beds, was ready early but we finally made our way up there just before dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal

Second, the debate about the quantity vs. the quality of time we spend with our kids is bunk, to use the cleaned-up version of a word my mother liked.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• baloney
• rubbish