skulk

or sculk

[skuhlk]

See more synonyms for skulk 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.

Origin of skulk

1175–1225; Middle English < Scandinavian (not in ON); compare Danish, Norwegian skulke, Swedish skolka play hooky

Related formsskulk·er, nounskulk·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for skulk

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1. See lurk.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for skulking

slink, crouch, prowl, snoop, dodge, pussyfoot, hide, slack, avoid, sidestep, sneak, evade, elude, snake, bypass, steal, creep

Examples from the Web for skulking

Contemporary Examples of skulking

Later in the spring, she and Elisabeth saw another kind of heron, an American bittern, skulking in some grass by a swamp.
One Year to Live
Olivia Gentile
April 12, 2009

Historical Examples of skulking

Their notion of war was midnight skulking and shooting from behind safe cover.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
Certainly not; for that sort of thing is an excuse for skulking, and has been the ruin of many an army.
The Republic
Plato
The savages, flushed with success, were skulking every where.
King Philip
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
He thought he was in Castletown, skulking under the walls of the castle.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
The man that is tame in times of peace is a skulking woman in times of war.
Love-at-Arms
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for skulking

skulk

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 Formsskulker, 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

Word Origin and History for skulking

skulk

c.1200, from a Scandinavian source, cf. Norwegian skulke "to shirk, malinger," Danish skulke "to spare oneself, shirk," Swedish skolka "to shirk, skulk, slink, play truant." Common in Middle English but lacking in 15c.-16c. records; possibly reborrowed 17c. Related: Skulked; skulking; skulker; skulkery.