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punk

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punk¹

  • /ˈpʌŋk/
  • [ˈpʰʌŋk]

Rhymes with -ʌŋk

Where it comes from

Uncertain. Possibly from punk (“rotten wood dust used as tinder”), attested since 1678, to anything worthless (attested since 1869) and then to any undesirable person (since 1908). The relatively tame 21st century usage of punk (“prank”, verb) was popularized by the American television show Punk'd (2003).

noun punks · punx

  1. archaic, countable, uncountable A female prostitute. My lord, she may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.
  2. countable, obsolete, uncountable A boy or younger man who engages in sexual intercourse by an older man as a (usually passive) homosexual partner. The Beaus... At night make a Punk of him that's first drunk.
  3. US, countable, uncountable A passive or effeminate homosexual man.
  4. US, countable, slang, uncountable A boy who accompanies a hobo, especially as used for sex. They'd pick up youngsters as, well—as their playthings. These kids were called punks.
  5. US, countable, derogatory, uncountable A male homosexual.
  6. US, countable, slang, uncountable A man forced or coerced into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison. A punk, if you want it in plain English, is a boy with smooth skin who takes the place of a woman in a jailbird's love life.
  7. US, countable, slang A worthless person, particularly This fellow was just a punk... a nobody.
  8. US, countable, humorous, rare, slang, uncountable Any person, especially a male comrade.
  9. US, countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable A petty criminal, especially a juvenile delinquent. He said the prisoner called them ‘punk’... He admitted that he shouted ‘punk’ to them.
  10. US, countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable A weak, timid person. Do you think a little thing like a scratch would bother me? I'm no punk.
  11. US, countable, slang, uncountable Synonym of amateur.
  12. US, countable, slang, uncountable A young, untrained animal or worker.
  13. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of punk rock, a genre known for short, loud, energetic songs with electric guitars and strong drums and shocking or political lyrics.punk rock Who else... would have the nerve to actually begin a song with the line ‘Whatchew gonna do, mama, now that the roast beef's gone...?’ Man, that is true punk; that is so fucked up it's got class up the ass.
  14. countable, uncountable The fashion style associated with punk rock, typically involving leather, metal studs and pins, distressed clothing and confrontational slogans. Thus, punk girls combined elements of female dress (bodysuits, skirts) with punk accessories (bullet belt, emocore shirt) to create a distinctly female punk look that's "as girly" as they get.
  15. countable, uncountable A nonconformist social movement originally associated with punk rock and its fans, combining anarchism and radicalism, usually (but not necessarily) left-wing. This emphasis on politics in the personal sphere might be a difference between punk now and punk fifteen years ago.
  16. countable, in compounds, uncountable, usually Any of the -punk genres, typically involving anachronistic technology and its social impact: dieselpunk, solarpunk, steampunk etc. Some of these genres produce unique and intriguing subculture groups, usually referred to as types of "punks": cyberpunk, teslapunk, atompunk, biopunk, etc.
  17. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of punk rocker; a musician known for playing punk rock or a fan of the genre.punk rocker My girlfriend is a punk and she plays the drums.
  18. countable, uncountable A person who designs or dresses in punk fashion style.
  19. countable, uncountable A member of the punk social movement; usually anarchist and socially non-conformist although potentially either left-wing or right-wing. In the daily praxis of punk, vegetarianism and veganism are strategies through which many punks combat corporate capitalism, patriarchy, and environmental collapse.
  20. countable, in compounds, uncountable, usually A fan of a -punk genre of fiction, or a person who dresses in a style associated with it.

adjective punker · punkest

  1. US, colloquial Bad, substandard. Babbitt boomed on: "Pretty punk service the Company giving us on these car-lines. Nonsense to only run the Portland Road cars once every seven minutes. Fellow gets mighty cold on a winter morning, waiting on a street corner with the wind nipping at his ankles."
  2. US, colloquial Thuggish, criminal.
  3. US, colloquial Cowardly. ... Donald Trump is also a coward. For all of his tough talk and bluster, the president of the United States is a punk ass bitch.
  4. US, colloquial Poorly, sickly. With the subtleties of dressing ran other complex worries. "I feel kind of punk this morning," he said. "I think I had too much dinner last evening. You oughtn't to serve those heavy banana fritters."
  5. US, colloquial Inexperienced.
  6. Of or concerning punk rock or its associated subculture. You look very punk with your t-shirt, piercing, and chains.

verb punks · punking · punked

  1. slang To pimp.
  2. slang, transitive To forcibly perform anal sex upon (an unwilling partner). Ricky punked his new cell-mates.
  3. slang, transitive To prank. I got expelled when I punked the principal.
  4. especially To give up or concede; to act like a wimp. Jimmy was going to help me with the prank, but he punked (out) at the last minute.
  5. often, transitive To adapt or embellish in the style of the punk movement. Suzy, a pump young woman with sparkling brown eyes and punked hair tucked behind her ears, said blankly, "What?"

punk²

  • /ˈpʌŋk/
  • [ˈpʰʌŋk]

Rhymes with -ʌŋk

Where it comes from

Unclear; first attested circa 1680 in writings about Native American practices, probably from Unami punkw (“dust”), though it has also been suggested it could be an alteration of spunk (“tinder”) (compare funk (“rotten wood”)).

noun punks

  1. uncountable Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi. As the East-Indians use Moxa, so these burn with Punk, which is the inward Part of the Excrescence or Exuberance of an Oak.
  2. countable A utensil for lighting wicks or fuses (such as those of fireworks) resembling stick incense. On the end a coal of fire slowly smouldered. It would last for hours, and my cell-mate called it a "punk."

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