husk
Americannoun
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husks
plural
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the dry external covering of certain fruits or seeds, especially of an ear of corn.
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the enveloping or outer part of anything, especially when dry or worthless.
verb (used with object)
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husks,
present (3rd person singular)
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husked,
past participle, past
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husking
present participle
noun
-
the external green or membranous covering of certain fruits and seeds
-
any worthless outer covering
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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husksimple
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huskssimple
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have huskedperfect
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has huskedperfect
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am huskingprogressive
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are huskingprogressive
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is huskingprogressive
-
have been huskingperfect progressive
-
has been huskingperfect progressive
Past
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huskedsimple
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had huskedperfect
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was huskingprogressive
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were huskingprogressive
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had been huskingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of husk
1350–1400; Middle English huske, equivalent to hus- (akin to Old English hosu pod, husk) + -ke, weak variant of -ock
Explanation
A husk is the fibrous covering of a seed or a fruit that's usually removed before you eat it. To make white rice, the husk is removed from the plant, leaving behind a smooth grain. When you hear the word husk, you may think of the thick leaves that cover an ear of corn. Any vegetable, legume, seed, or fruit with a protective covering has a husk, which is also called a hull or chaff. You can use this word as a verb, too: "Are you going to husk all that corn by yourself? It's almost time for dinner!" Some etymologists trace this word back to the Dutch huuskyn, "little house."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A recent strike on one of its warehouses—among the largest such facilities in Russia—left behind a smoking husk roughly the size of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
I’m almost positive this piece existed; and the fact that I couldn’t find any mention of it in the sad, hollowed-out husk of the 2026 internet offers no proof that it didn’t.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Traditionally, logs made of coir - coconut husk - have been imported from South-East Asia to reduce erosion, hold back water and also re-wet degraded peatland.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
But it will continue leading the court toward becoming, to quote Chief Justice John Roberts’ dismissive description of the key precedent in this case, “a dried husk of whatever people used to think it was.”
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2025
The old fire was seeping back into this strange, wistful husk of my father.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Other forms of Metarhizium are already commonly cultivated around the world on cheap materials like chicken droppings, rice husks and wheat scraps that are readily available after harvest.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2025
It hints at the trend of hedge fund managers buying local publications to drain them until they’re husks of their former selves.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2025
The CO2 that emerges into the air is sucked away and then concentrated using charred coconut husks ready to be stored.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
Controversial newsmakers—Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding, Lorena Bobbitt among them—had the term pinioned to them like a scarlet letter, stripping away their accomplishments and leaving only scorned husks of their real selves.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2025
He looked around triumphantly, pointing to the neat white hills of rice and the husks in a rustling brown heap.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
It’s the last call for fresh corn as the season winds down, and the piles of formerly bright green husked cobs now look a little withered at their tips.
From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2022
Unhusked ears of corn can be kept loose in the vegetable crisper while husked corn should be kept in a plastic bag for extra protection.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2022
The 27-year-old, clearly cognizant of the potential dry-cleaning bill at hand, husked his shirt for the recovery shot.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 31, 2019
Her strong voice echoed across the fields as she husked corn.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2018
"He was ever a warrior," her father husked.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
The husking trays were containers with a large oval base and low walls, made of coarse clay.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
One of those offerings: coconut husking, or removing the hard outer layer around the shell, a necessary step to get to the meat and liquid inside.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 27, 2023
Yes, there’s a staginess to it all: the quintet sitting around on the floor husking vegetables, dismantling a chicken, dining.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2022
As Alex, Sturridge does a good job of husking himself as the story goes sour.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 12, 2019
He had spoken to me at the corn husking, and again at Christmas.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
