noun
spunk
spuhngk
noun
1
Courage, spirit, or determination.
"It took real spunk for her to speak up in front of the board."
"The rookie showed a lot of spunk in his first game."
2
Vulgar slang for semen.
"The word is mostly used in British slang."
How to Use Spunk
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMostly used to mean feisty courage or determination; also a vulgar slang term.
When to use it
The "courage" sense is informal but not rude; the anatomical sense is vulgar slang, mainly British.
Common pairings
plenty of spunk
show some spunk
Word Forms
spunked past tense, spunks plural, spunks singular
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It took real _____ for her to speak up in front of the board.
Etymology
From a 1500s blend of "spark" and an old word "funk" meaning spark or tinder.