skull

SKUL/ˈskʌl/

Pluralskulls

Verbskulls, skulling, skulled

11 meanings of skull

Practice

1
nouncountable
The bony frame of the head that protects the brain and shapes the face.
Like a hard case made of bone that keeps the brain safe inside.
A good helmet protects your skull during a hard fall.
Doctors took an X-ray of his skull after the accident.
Similarcranium
Note
2
nounfigurativelycountable
A person's mind or brain, used in a joking, everyday way.
Like calling your head the box where all your thoughts are kept.
Get that idea through your thick skull before it's too late!
He's got nothing in his skull but soccer scores.
Similarhead, brain, mind, noggin
3
nouncountable
A picture or shape of the head's bones used to stand for death.
Like a red cross standing for help, a skull can stand for death.
The pirate flag showed a white skull on black cloth.
A skull on the bottle warned everyone that it held poison.
Similardeath's-head
Note
4
verbtransitive
To drink all that is left in a glass in one go by tipping it up.
Like emptying a whole cup at once instead of taking small sips.
He skulled his drink and ran for the train.
Just skull it and let's go before they close.
Similardown, chug, neck, gulp
Oppositesip, nurse
5
verbtransitive
To hit someone on the head with your fist, a weapon, or something thrown.
Like knocking someone on the head with whatever you're holding.
He skulled the burglar with a baseball bat.
Don't skull your brother with that heavy toy!
Similarbrain, clobber, bash, conk, whack
6
verbtransitive
To hit the top of the ball by mistake, so it flies low and fast along the ground.
Like clipping the top of a ball instead of under it, so it skids low.
He skulled the ball over the green and into the trees.
Try not to skull the ball on your next shot.
Similarthin, blade, top
Note
7
nouncountable
The rounded top part of a helmet that covers the crown of the head.
Like the rounded top of a bike helmet, but shaped from metal.
The blacksmith hammered the skull of the helmet into a smooth dome.
A dent in the skull of his helmet showed where the sword had struck.
Similarcrown, dome, bowl
8
nouncountable
A hard crust that forms on a ladle when melted metal cools a little.
Like the hard skin that forms on paint left open in a can.
Workers scraped the skull from the ladle before the next pour.
A thick skull had hardened around the rim of the bucket.
Similarcrust
9
noundialectalScotlandcountable
A shallow basket with a curved handle arching over the top.
Like a basket with a handle that bends over the top like a rainbow.
She carried the fish home in a wide, shallow skull.
The market stall held herring piled high in a flat skull.
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Less common meanings

10
nounobsoleteUK
The person who runs and leads a college.
Like an old nickname for a school's principal: the boss in charge.
The skull of the college welcomed the new students at dinner.
Students grumbled that the skull was too strict about curfew.
Note
11
nounobsolete
Obsolete form of school. An old spelling meaning a large group, as in a school of fish.
A knavish skull of boys and girls did pelt at him.
1586, William Warner, Albion’s EnglandHere, skull is an old spelling of school, meaning a large group.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English sculle, probably from a dialectal form of Old Norse skalli, meaning 'bald head' or 'skull'.