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:
The film’s body is drained — an inanimate husk.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Near a bulldozer, the forlorn husk of a car hunkered in the midst of a store’s wreckage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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
Tears are hard to summon for a man whose soul and spirit have long since departed, leaving behind just the husk of a human being.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
The bear was an empty husk, for the Spirit had banished the demon to the Otherworld.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
“Ewwww, there are bugs,” said student Cassie Scott, when she spotted earwigs in the husks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"It should also be noted that, after removing the husks and phenolic compounds, the flour has a very neutral taste and aroma, especially compared to the various vegetable proteins on the market," she said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2025
The company opened its production facility in March, where staff process not cacao beans but carob husks.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 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
The huge red flowers were gone, replaced with wrinkled, withered husks, the petals screwed up and decayed.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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
Gasa husked a coconut and used hand gestures to convey his idea.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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
To Kit’s surprise the husking was fun, enlivened by singing and wagers and jokes that seemed uproariously funny.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
