punk
noun
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punk
1 American
[puhngk]
/ pʌŋk /
noun
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Slang.
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something or someone worthless or unimportant.
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a young ruffian; hoodlum.
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an inexperienced youth.
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a young male partner of a gay man.
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an apprentice, especially in the building trades.
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Prison Slang. a passive or submissive male inmate, especially one who is used for sex by another male inmate.
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a style or movement characterized by the adoption of aggressively unconventional and often bizarre or shocking clothing, hairstyles, makeup, etc., and the defiance of social norms of behavior, usually associated with punk rock musicians and fans.
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a punker.
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Archaic. a prostitute.
adjective
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Informal. poor in quality or condition.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of punk rock.
a punk band.
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pertaining to, characteristic of, or adopting punk styles.
punk youths; punk hairstyles in various colors.
punk
2
American
[puhngk]
/ pʌŋk /
-punk
3
American
punk
1
British
/ pʌŋk /
noun
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a youth movement of the late 1970s, characterized by anti-Establishment slogans and outrageous clothes and hairstyles
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an adherent of punk
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short for punk rock
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( as modifier )
a punk record
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an inferior, rotten, or worthless person or thing
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worthless articles collectively
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a petty criminal or hoodlum
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obsolete a young male homosexual; catamite
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obsolete a prostitute
adjective
punk
2
British
/ pʌŋk /
noun
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dried decayed wood that smoulders when ignited: used as tinder
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any of various other substances that smoulder when ignited, esp one used to light fireworks
punk
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of punk1
First recorded in 1590–1600; of obscure origin; the sense development is apparently “prostitute,” from “catamite,” from “hoodlum”; the adjective “poor in quality” (1896) is unclearly derived and perhaps a distinct word
Origin of punk2
An Americanism dating back to 1680–90; origin uncertain
Explanation
A punk is a young troublemaker. If your elderly neighbor thinks of you as a young punk, he either thinks all kids are bad — or you did something that really disturbed him. The Algonquin word for dust or ashes, ponk is the most likely root of punk, which originally described rotten wood used to start fires. That meaning is also found in the adjective form of punk, poor quality, or disposable. Facing long-term unemployment in 1970s London, kids invented punk rock and extreme styles of dress and hair to go along with it, because, in the words of a well-known punk song of the day, they felt they had no future.
Vocabulary lists containing punk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2015, Finland nominated Pertti Kurikan Nimipaivat, a punk band of musicians with disabilities.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Ness, whose band helped invent Orange County punk in the late 1970s, spends much of his time these days on California’s Central Coast, where he and his wife, Christine, bought a place years ago.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
It was while living in Cape Town he formed the punk rock band Riot Squad SA.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
It is about punk rock and the inevitable commercialization of it.
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
I figured now wasn’t the best time to tell her about the band, and that I couldn’t be in a punk band with my little-kid braids.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
