noun
skunk
skuhngk
noun
1
A small black-and-white North American mammal that sprays a foul-smelling liquid when threatened.
"A skunk wandered into the campsite and sent everyone running."
2
An unpleasant or despicable person.
"He's a real skunk for lying to his own family."
verb
1
(informal) To defeat someone so badly they score nothing.
"Our team got skunked in the final round of the tournament."
How to Use Skunk
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe smelly striped animal — or, informally, a nasty person, or to thrash someone in a game.
Common pairings
skunk spray
get skunked
a real skunk
Word Forms
skunked past tense, skunks plural, skunks plural, skunks singular
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Etymology
Borrowed from an Algonquian language of southern New England, from a word meaning roughly "he who urinates/squirts", referring to the animal's spray.