gunk

American  

[guhngk] / gʌŋk /

noun

Informal.

1. any sticky or greasy residue or accumulation.

   gunk on the oil filter.

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gunk British  

/ ɡʌŋk /

noun

1. informal slimy, oily, or filthy matter

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Etymology

Origin of gunk

An Americanism dating back to 1932; originally a trademark name for a degreasing solvent

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Explanation

Gunk is a gloppy, sticky substance, like the gunk you scrape off the soles of your shoes or the gunk at the bottom of a pond. Gunk is an American English slang term that was first used around 1950 to mean "viscous substance." The word comes from a liquid soap made in Massachusetts starting in the 1930s that was also called Gunk. If you buy Gunk today, it's a cleaning product used for car engines (and sold by a company known as GUNK). In general though, gunk is a great word for anything messy, slimy, or grimy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gunk

To deal with any remaining sticky or dried-on gunk, I do a simple two-pass wipe-down.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

Bringing it all to a head: a civil trial began last week in a federal court where Elon Musk was trying to oust Altman, his former partner, and gunk up OpenAI’s going-public ambitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

The other takes place during a flight — Lindsay wiping gunk from the toilet seat and transferring it to the rim of the cup Ashley drinks from.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

The 34-year-old has 15m followers on TikTok who watch him remove gunk and debris from swimming pools and then use a jet washer to restore them back to their original beauty.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2024

I cough up more gunk, which makes my head spin, which makes me cough more.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

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Related Words

• dirt
• goo
• manure
• mud
• slime
• sludge
• trash

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