punk

PUNGK/pʌŋk/

Pluralpunks

Adjectivepunker, punkest

27 meanings of punk

Practice

1
rock musicnouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for punk rock: loud, lively rock music with short songs and shocking or political words.
My brother plays punk in a band with his friends.
She listened to punk all through high school.
UsageSay play punk or listen to punk, without a.
Note
2
rock musicadjective
Linked to punk music, or to the fans and style that go with it.
He has a punk haircut with bright green spikes.
Her outfit looks very punk with all those safety pins.
UsageYou can say very punk.
Note
3
nouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for punk rocker. Someone who plays or loves punk music, joins in punk culture, or dresses in punk style.
Her older brother was a punk who played guitar in a garage band.
As a teenager, she was a punk who went to every show in town.
UsageSay a punk or punks.
Note
4
worthless personnounslangUScountable
A rude word for someone thought to be worthless, weak, or afraid.
Don't listen to him. He's just a punk.
The older guys treated him like a punk who didn't matter.
UsagePeople say just a punk.
Similarloser, bum, nobody, lowlife, wimp
Note
5
nouncountable or uncountable
The rebel culture around punk music, including its look of leather, metal studs, and torn clothes.
Punk taught her that she did not have to look or act like everyone else.
In our city, punk was more than music. It was a whole way of life.
6
young criminalnounslangderogatoryUScountable or uncountable
Someone who commits small crimes, often a young person who keeps getting into trouble.
Some punk stole my bike from outside the store.
The police picked up two punks for spraying paint on the school.
Similarhoodlum, hooligan
Note

Less common meanings

7
trickverbslangtransitive
To play a trick on someone as a joke.
Let's punk my brother by hiding his phone in the fridge.
My friends punked me with a fake parking ticket.
UsageOften said as got punked.
Similarprank, trick, fool
Note
8
verbslangUStransitiveus
To push around or beat someone so badly, often in sports, that they look weak or foolish.
Don't let that guy punk you under the basket. Push back!
Our team got punked 42 to 3 in the big game.
UsageSay a team got punked: it lost badly.
Similarhumiliate, embarrass, thrash, trounce
Note
9
back downverbslangintransitive
To give up because you are too scared, often said as punk out.
Don't punk out now, we're almost at the top!
He planned to ask her to dance but punked out.
Similarchicken, wimp
10
make edgyverbtransitive
To change or decorate something so it has a punk style.
She punked up her old jacket with safety pins and patches.
Let's punk up this slow song and play it twice as fast.
Note
11
young criminaladjectivecolloquialUS
Acting like a thug or a criminal.
His new friends were a punk bunch who stole from stores.
Those punk kids keep breaking car windows on our street.
Similarthuggish, criminal, delinquent
Oppositelaw-abiding
12
cowardlyadjectivecolloquialUS
Not brave, and too scared to face trouble.
Sneaking out the back door to avoid the fight was a punk move.
Running away and leaving your friend behind was a punk thing to do.
Similarcowardly, gutless, chicken, spineless
Oppositebrave, courageous, bold
Note
13
lighting sticknouncountable
A stick that burns slowly and is used to light fuses on fireworks or wicks.
Dad lit the fireworks with a punk instead of a match.
Each kid got a punk to light the sparklers.
Note
14
dry woodnoununcountable
Dry stuff used to start a fire, especially wood that a fungus has changed.
We collected dry punk from a rotten log to start the campfire.
The punk began to glow when the spark landed on it.
Similartinder, touchwood
Note
15
poor qualityadjectivecolloquialUS
Bad, or not as good as it should be.
Similarlousy, bad, poor, shoddy, crummy
Oppositegood, excellent
16
adjectivecolloquialUS
New at something, without much experience.
Similarinexperienced, green, raw, unpracticed
Oppositeexperienced, seasoned, practiced
17
amateurnounslangUScountable or uncountable
Someone who is not a professional and is not very good at what they do.
Similaramateur
Oppositepro, professional, expert
18
nounvulgarUScountable or uncountable
A rude and hurtful word for a gay man.
19
buddynounslanghumorousUScountable or uncountable
Any person, especially a man who is your friend.
Come on, you punks, the pizza is getting cold!
How's it going, you old punk?
Similarfellow
Note
20
unwelladjectivecolloquialUS
A little sick, or not feeling well.
Mom felt punk all weekend and stayed in bed.
The baby looks a little punk today. Maybe she has a cold.
UsageSay I feel punk.
Similarunwell, sick, lousy, sickly, poorly
Oppositewell, healthy
Note
21
prostitutenounarchaichistoricalcountable or uncountable
A woman who is paid to have sex.
In the play, the old knight mistakes a punk for a fine lady.
My lord, she may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.
c. 1603, William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”Here, punk means a woman who is paid for sex.
Similarprostitute
Note
22
noun
Any kind of science fiction whose name ends in -punk, like steampunk or solarpunk, often about how technology changes society.
23
noun
A fan of story types like steampunk, or someone who dresses in their style.
24
nounslangUS
A boy or young man forced into sex by an older man, especially in prison.
25
nounslangUS
In the circus, a young animal or worker that is not trained yet.
26
verbslang
To find paying customers for people who sell sex and take a share of the money.
27
verbslang
To force anal sex on someone.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of punk apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–12, 15–21

Its origin is not certain. It may come from punk meaning rotten wood used to start fires, which later meant anything worthless and then a bad or unwanted person.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The origin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
The proposed development runs from rotten wood used as tinder through worthless things to undesirable people. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 13–14

Its origin is not clear. It probably comes from the Unami word punkw, meaning “dust”.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The origin of this sense is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
Unami is the probable source language. en.wiktionary.org
The Unami word punkw means dust. talk-lenape.org