ENGLISH
REFERENCE

punk

n. · adj. · v.
US //ˈpəŋk// UK //pˈʌŋk// punk
  1. 1 music and culture (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Music

    a style of loud, fast rock music that started in the 1970s, often about politics or being against the rules.

    a subcultural movement and musical genre characterized by aggressive, fast-paced rock and anti-establishment ideologies.

    Example

    He loved the energy of early punk and started his own band in high school.

    Example

    The exhibition explores how punk influenced fashion and graphic design through its DIY aesthetic and rejection of mainstream commercialism.
    • punk rock
  2. 2 a person (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person who follows punk music and often has a specific style, like dyed hair or leather jackets.

    an adherent of the punk subculture, typically distinguished by specific sartorial choices and a rebellious attitude.

    Example

    A group of punks was hanging out near the concert hall entrance.

    Example

    The documentary interviews several original punks who describe the London scene in the late seventies as a reaction to economic stagnation.

  3. 3 a troublemaker (n.)
    C1 Advanced American English Informal

    a young person who is rude, aggressive, or involved in small crimes.

    a pejorative term for a young hoodlum, petty criminal, or an inexperienced and insolent youth.

    Example

    The older man told the kids to stop acting like punks and go home.

    Example

    In many classic noir films, the protagonist has to deal with a street punk who thinks he is tougher than he actually is.
  4. 4 related to punk culture (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    relating to punk music, fashion, or the punk way of thinking.

    pertaining to or characteristic of the punk rock subculture.

    Example

    She wore a punk jacket covered in metal studs and safety pins.

    Example

    The band's early sound was very punk, but they later transitioned into a more melodic alternative rock style.

  5. 5 to prank (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang American English

    to play a trick or a practical joke on someone.

    to trick or deceive someone, typically as a practical joke or for public humiliation.

    Example

    I can't believe you got punked by such a simple hidden camera trick.

    Example

    The television show became famous for the elaborate ways it would punk celebrities in their daily lives.
Etymology 1

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).

Etymology 2

Unclear; first attested circa 1680 in writings about Native American practices, probably from Unami punkw (“dust”), though it has also been suggested it could be an alteration of spunk (“tinder”) (compare funk (“rotten wood”)).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 19, 2026