skunk
[ skuhngk ]
/ skʌŋk /
noun, plural skunks, (especially collectively) skunk.
a small North American mammal, Mephitis mephitis, of the weasel family, having a black coat with a white, V-shaped stripe on the back, and ejecting a fetid odor when alarmed or attacked.
any of several related or similar animals.Compare hog-nosed skunk, spotted skunk.
Informal. a thoroughly contemptible person.
U.S. Navy Slang. an unidentified ship or target.
verb (used with object)
Slang. to defeat thoroughly in a game, especially while keeping an opponent from scoring: The team skunked the favorites in the crucial game.
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Origin of skunk
1625–35, Americanism; < the Massachusett reflex of Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa (derivative of *šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, foxlike animal
Words nearby skunk
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for skunk
British Dictionary definitions for skunk
skunk
/ (skʌŋk) /
noun plural skunks or skunk
any of various American musteline mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, esp Mephitis mephitis (striped skunk), typically having a black and white coat and bushy tail: they eject an unpleasant-smelling fluid from the anal gland when attacked
informal a despicable person
slang a strain of cannabis smoked for its exceptionally powerful psychoactive properties
verb
(tr) US and Canadian slang to defeat overwhelmingly in a game
Word Origin for skunk
C17: from Algonquian; compare Abnaki segākw skunk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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