skunk

American  

[skuhngk] / skʌŋk /

noun

plural

skunks,

plural

skunk

1. 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.

2. any of several related or similar animals.

3. Informal. a thoroughly contemptible person.

4. U.S. Navy Slang. an unidentified ship or target.

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verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to defeat thoroughly in a game, especially while keeping an opponent from scoring.

   The team skunked the favorites in the crucial game.

skunk British  

/ skʌŋk /

noun

1. 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

2. informal a despicable person

3. slang a strain of cannabis smoked for its exceptionally powerful psychoactive properties

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verb

1. slang (tr) to defeat overwhelmingly in a game

Etymology

Origin of skunk

1625–35, < the Massachusett reflex of Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa (derivative of *šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, foxlike animal

Explanation

A skunk is a small black and white animal that defends itself with a stinky fluid when it feels threatened. Skunks are fairly common, even in suburban and urban places. Skunks are about the same size as cats, with stripes and fluffy tails. They're usually black and white but occasionally gray or brown. If your dog has ever met a skunk face-to-face, or startled one, you know how powerful a skunk's smell can be. It's an odor that's hard to get rid of — and it's strong enough to keep predators like bears far away. Skunk most likely comes from an Abenaki root.

Example Sentences

Santa Rosa is home to six endemic plants, as well as the island spotted skunk and rare birds, Cohen said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

“The skunk at the party—and it could happen in 2026—would be inflation slowly going up, as opposed to slowly going down,” Dimon wrote in the 49-page letter.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Ford has been working on its own EV platform in the U.S. as part of its so-called skunk works project to build a $30,000 electric pickup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

You couldn’t turn on your television without seeing this woman pop up somewhere, sporting a black-and-white skunk wig, preaching her freak-forward gospel.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2025

Still, this skunk kit has come into your life, and for at least the next few weeks, you and your mother must work to be the best caretakers you can be.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold