skulk

or sculk

[ skuhlk ]

/ skʌlk /

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See synonyms for: skulk / skulked / skulking / skulker on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to lie or keep in hiding, as for some evil reason: The thief skulked in the shadows.

to move in a stealthy manner; slink: The panther skulked through the bush.

British. to shirk duty; malinger.

noun

a person who skulks.

a pack or group of foxes.

Rare. an act or instance of skulking.

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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”

synonym study for skulk

1. See lurk.

OTHER WORDS FROM skulk

skulker, nounskulk·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby skulk

Skt, SKU, skua, Skuld, skulduggery, skulk, skull, skull and crossbones, skullcap, skullduggery, skull session

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skulk in a sentence

This is not a time to manipulate or skulk into situations sideways, attempting to give a false impression of nonchalance.
Your Week: What the Stars Hold|Starsky + Cox|September 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is lawful to pray God that we be not led into temptation; but not lawful to skulk from those that come to us.
The Pocket R.L.S.|Robert Louis Stevenson
Darkness fell quickly, and in the gathering gloom they saw two more figures skulk into the cabin.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine|John Fox, Jr.
They should have done a better job of brainwashing, if they expected him to skulk in like a scared rabbit!
The Colors of Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley

Jenkins here is a fat-head for sleep, while Moore is a young sailor but a damned old soldier and would sooner skulk than work.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
Your own people will not own you, and no tribe of redmen would have you in their wigwams; you skulk among petticoated warriors.
The Deerslayer|James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for skulk

skulk

/ (skʌlk) /

verb (intr)

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

Derived forms of skulk

skulker, noun

Word Origin for skulk

C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian skulka to lurk, Swedish skolka, Danish skulke to shirk

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

skulk

or sculk

Origin of skulk

synonym study for skulk

OTHER WORDS FROM skulk

Words nearby skulk

Words related to skulk

How to use skulk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skulk

Derived forms of skulk

Word Origin for skulk