skulk

1 of 2

verb

ˈskəlk 

skulked; skulking; skulks

intransitive verb

1

: to move in a stealthy or furtive manner

skulked into her sister's room

2

a

: to hide or conceal something (such as oneself) often out of cowardice or fear or with sinister intent

b

chiefly British : malinger

skulker noun

skulk

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that skulks

2

: a group of foxes

Did you know?

Here's one for the word-puzzle lovers. Name three qualities that the word skulk shares with each of the following words: booth, brink, cog, flit, kid, meek, scab, seem, and skull. If you noticed that all of the terms on that list have just one syllable, then you've got the first, and easiest, similarity. The next two require some special knowledge: all of the words are of Scandinavian origin and all were first recorded in English in the 13th century. As for skulk specifically, its closest known Scandinavian relative is the Norwegian dialect word skulka, which means “to lie in wait” or “to lurk.” Skulk is also used—though less often—as a noun, referring either to “one that skulks” or to a group of foxes, animals often held to be furtively lurking around.

Synonyms

Verb

• lurk
• mooch
• mouse
• pussyfoot
• shirk
• slide
• slink
• slip
• snake
• sneak
• steal

Noun

• lurker
• skulker
• slyboots
• sneak
• sneaker

Choose the Right Synonym for skulk

lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention.

lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.

suspicious men lurking in alleyways

skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.

something skulking in the shadows

slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.

slunk around the corner

sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.

sneaked out early

Examples of skulk in a Sentence

Verb

A man was skulking around outside.

She skulked into her sister's room.

Noun

the animal control officers caught the stray cat that had been skulking behind some trash cans

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Even so, there’s a profound loneliness skulking around his book. —Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as a U.S. president and a pitiful, angry old man will skulk back to Mar-a-Lago. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024

Her initial attempts to divest herself of Sunny entwine with her desire to learn just who her husband was; there will be skulking and unpleasant if incomplete discoveries. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024

Except that those kids didn’t skulk around on AlphaBay. —Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect skulka to lie in wait, lurk

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

skulk

verb

ˈskəlk

1

: to move in a sly or secret manner : sneak

2

: to hide or conceal oneself from cowardice or fear or with treacherous intention

skulker noun