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

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

I tucked him under his shark-print comforter on the top bunk of his bed, just in case sleep won out over want, and propped up an iPad in front of him.
Finally, a president that America’s children can watch|Theresa Vargas|January 20, 2021|Washington Post
I’d stepped into the hallway to give him the space he needed, but when I heard the sound of the upper bunk sliding back up, I realized I’d need to tell him that I had decided to spend this trip sleeping in the top bed.
Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi|Scott Butterworth|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
Automatically he began to set up the lower bunk — flattening the chairs into a seamless “mattress” and then lowering the upper bunk slightly to grab bedding.
Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi|Scott Butterworth|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
I had to scoot toward the end of the bunk, reach for a handhold, and then take four steps down.
Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi|Scott Butterworth|January 1, 2021|Washington Post

On the return trip, I slept in the lower bunk, and indeed, it was a smoother ride.
Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi|Scott Butterworth|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
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.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow
"There's nothing to prevent your bunking somewhere else," the owner of the animal replied, quite sharply.
The Adventures of a Country Boy at a Country Fair|James Otis
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

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

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