spunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈspəŋk

Synonyms of spunk next

: a woody tinder : punk

: any of various fungi used to make tinder

: mettle, pluck

: spirit, liveliness

spunk

2 of 2

verb

spunked; spunking; spunks

intransitive verb

dialect

: to show spirit

—usually used with up

Examples of spunk in a Sentence

Noun That little girl has a lot of spunk. had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Recently headlining Afropunk New York 2024, the singer has yet to lose her spunk. —

Essence, 18 Oct. 2024 Paul Robeson was called all of the above, in addition to the more familiar slurs applied to a Black man who showed a little spunk in a Jim Crow culture. —

Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024

Verb

The Wild already had spunk, but Deslauriers has crafted a nice brand in the pest-nuisance-and-hitting market. —

Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for spunk

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Scottish Gaelic spong sponge, tinder, from Middle Irish spongc, from Latin spongia sponge

First Known Use

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of spunk was in 1582

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spunk. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

spunk

noun

ˈspəŋk

: courage, pluck

: spirit entry 1 sense 4

Etymology

Noun

from earlier spunk "tinder," from Scottish Gaelic spong "sponge, tinder," from Latin spongia "sponge"

Word Origin

Spunk now means "spirit, readiness to fight against odds, courage." It is somewhat surprising to learn that it comes from a Latin word for something that seems quite the opposite: "sponge." The Latin word for "sponge," spongia, came into Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language of the Scottish Highlands, as spong and meant "sponge." But it also came to mean "tinder," the light, dry material used to start a fire. Tinder was often dry, spongy wood that would ignite easily and looked like sponge. A person who fought courageously and without complaining, especially against strong opponents, was thought of as catching fire. This flaring up of the human spirit was compared to the bursting into flame of tinder. Thus, a person who had this quality was said to have spunk.

Last Updated: 21 Oct 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

victuals

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

spunk

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of spunk in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near spunk

Cite this Entry