punk
A group of associated musical, artistic and social movements emerging out of the counterculture in the 1970s:
Noun 3 meanings
A group of associated musical, artistic and social movements emerging out of the counterculture in the 1970s:
A follower of any of these movements, including:
Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi.
Adjective 2 meanings
Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Of or concerning punk rock or its associated subculture.
“You look very punk with your t-shirt, piercing, and chains.”
Verb 2 meanings
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.”
To adapt or embellish in the style of the punk movement.
Etymology
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).
Similar and opposite words
PUNK at a glance
PUNK has 4 letters and scores 10 points in Scrabble (P 3 + U 1 + N 1 + K 5) and 13 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #5,069 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with punk
All rhymesOne letter away
Keep going
Related lists
Looking for a different word?
Type the letters you have and the Finder shows every word that fits.