skulk

or sculk

[ skuhlk ]
See synonyms for: skulkskulkedskulkingskulker on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to lie or keep in hiding, as for some evil reason: The thief skulked in the shadows.

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

  1. British. to shirk duty; malinger.

noun
  1. a person who skulks.

  2. a pack or group of foxes.

  1. Rare. an act or instance of skulking.

Origin of skulk

1
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, noun
  • skulk·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use skulk in a sentence

  • The third skulker took advantage of the cessation of firing to tumble down from his perch and fly for his life.

    Overland | John William De Forest
  • I fished it out and made ready, thinking, of course, that the skulker must certainly be one of Clanahan's gunmen.

    The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
  • He loathed a skulker, and his face was known for any boy who would own to fatigue or confess himself beaten.

  • No need to call the roll, a skulker would have been detected and kicked into the ranks at the instant.

    Warrior Gap | Charles King
  • He did not personally know that the summer-house was occupied, but he argued it from the movements of the other skulker.

    The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for skulk

skulk

/ (skʌlk) /


verb(intr)
  1. to move stealthily so as to avoid notice

  2. to lie in hiding; lurk

  1. to shirk duty or evade responsibilities; malinger

noun
  1. a person who skulks

  2. obsolete a pack of foxes or other animals that creep about stealthily

Origin of skulk

1
C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian skulka to lurk, Swedish skolka, Danish skulke to shirk

Derived forms of skulk

  • skulker, noun

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