skulk
Americanverb (used without object)
-
skulks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
skulked,
past participle, past
-
skulking
present participle
noun
-
a person who skulks.
-
a pack or group of foxes.
-
Rare. an act or instance of skulking.
verb
-
to move stealthily so as to avoid notice
-
to lie in hiding; lurk
-
to shirk duty or evade responsibilities; malinger
noun
-
a person who skulks
-
obsolete a pack of foxes or other animals that creep about stealthily
Synonym Usage
See lurk.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
skulksimple
-
skulkssimple
-
have skulkedperfect
-
has skulkedperfect
-
am skulkingprogressive
-
are skulkingprogressive
-
is skulkingprogressive
-
have been skulkingperfect progressive
-
has been skulkingperfect progressive
Past
-
skulkedsimple
-
had skulkedperfect
-
was skulkingprogressive
-
were skulkingprogressive
-
had been skulkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of skulk
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Scandinavian (not in Old Norse ); compare Danish, Norwegian skulke, Swedish skolka “to play hooky”
Explanation
Skulking is cowardly. It means hiding out, either because you're trying to pull something off in secret, or because you're trying to get out of doing something you're supposed to be doing. If you cut school, it makes sense to do it in the style of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and enjoy yourself. Will the punishment be worse than if you skulk around town, avoiding teachers and people your parents know, not doing anything you really want to do? In spy movies, there are always bad guys in hotel lobbies, skulking about, hiding behind open newspapers.
Vocabulary lists containing skulk
Animal Farm
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Matilda
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
So what if an NFL prospect turned LSU player has to skulk back to the Cleveland Browns?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton accused Findlay of deciding to "skulk at home".
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025
You could skulk back to the Other Place.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
She has to do her work at night and skulk around in the darkness.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2023
I thought, watching the fellow skulk through the grass like he might be stalking a pheasant or something.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
Then Connor skulks in to query Mencken on the ambassadorship he was expecting.
From Salon ● May 22, 2023
The lens skulks like a voyeur and does what it can to frazzle us, too.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2022
Trey skulks around Cal, alternately spying on him and helping him with the house, then hounds him into searching for the boy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2020
Finally, the president of the United States skulks through the doors of Pudong International Airport, where tens of thousands of Chinese people are waiting for him.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2020
A thin beak-nosed man who skulks outside the telegraph office, whittling little wooden boxes.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Defector Brooks Koepka skulked back to the PGA Tour, accepting penalties for going astray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
They were MTV staples for grimy videos like “Breathe” and “Firestarter,” where the dual-mohawked singer/dancer Keith Flint skulked around an empty subway tunnel, sneering in kohl eyeliner and an American flag sweater.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2025
Unlike earlier generations of royals who skulked in and out of the hospital alone, Charles left his recent treatment with Camilla by his side, providing the support most people would expect from their spouses.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
On his first day, as he skulked around the corridors, trying to avoid being recognised, John Holmes, the head of security, walked straight past him.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2020
Ghosts skulked around the edges of the courtyard, apparently intimidated by the Athena Parthenos.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The main way I die is at the hands of the simulated antagonist, who is skulking somewhere in the ductwork.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2023
The ending is a page turner as Wels describes Garfield’s last days alive, oblivious to Guiteau skulking in the shadows.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2023
Alinejad told The Associated Press at the time that authorities told her the man was looking for her, and that a home security video had caught him skulking outside her front door.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
This scenario rarely generates much drama, even with the menacing Jonas skulking about and various life-threatening dangers lurking in the wildness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2022
"I saw no signs of any of her spies skulking after me."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
