Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use skulk in a sentence

21 example sentences · noun, verb

Skulk means a group of foxes. Example: “A skulk of foxes, a cowardice of curs are tonight’s traffic whispering in the yards and lanes.”

Examples of skulk by meaning

nounA group of foxes.

  • A skulk of foxes, a cowardice of curs are tonight’s traffic whispering in the yards and lanes.1973, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 1, in Gravity's Rainbow, 1st US edition, New York: Viking Press, →ISBN
  • A skulk of fox padded daintily over a stream-slashed meadow, and a herd of deer like iron ornaments stood stock still in their winter pelage.2007, Millard Kaufman, chapter 19, in Bowl of Cherries, San Francisco: McSweeney’s Books, page 128
  • A group of foxes is called a skulk.2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC

nounA group of people seen as being fox-like (e.g. cunning, dishonest, or having nefarious plans).

  • The law was served by a skulk of informers, who traded their whispers to the royal foresters and woodwards, who gilded their tales for the verderers and regarders, who presented the guilty to the forest Justices.1982, Richard Girling, “1160: Chivalry”, in The Forest on the Hill, New York: Viking, page 69
  • Ten days after the attacks, a skulk of insurance executives met with President Bush and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans to press for the creation of a multibillion-dollar government safety net to limit their exposure to future terrorist incidents.2004, Micah L. Sifry, Nancy Watzman, chapter 24, in Is That a Politician in Your Pocket?, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, pages 200–201

nounThe act of moving in a stealthy or furtive way.

  • There was only the danger that his horse might lame himself in the night; but then he could go back in the hills and make a skulk on foot.1902, Frederic Remington, chapter 18, in John Ermine of the Yellowstone, New York: Macmillan, page 246
  • Willie knew that the time was propitious for a skulk across Hall, thence into the class-room of Mr.1920 December – 1921 September (date written), Henry Williamson, “Back Again”, in Dandelion Days, London; Glasgow: W[illiam] Collins Sons &...
  • That gave him three or four more hours of darkness in which to plan an escape more sensible than a skulk to the hut next door.2012, Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, New York: Random House, Prologue, p. xix

nounA stealthy or furtive gait or way of moving.

  • His gait was something between a slouch and a skulk.1987, Lloyd Alexander, chapter 5, in The Illyrian Adventure, New York: Dell, page 32
  • Romen had developed a kind of strut to replace his former skulk.2003, Toni Morrison, Love, New York: Knopf, page 109

nounOne who avoids an obligation or responsibility.

  • An exempt, a skulk, or one upon whom rested the faintest suspicion of evading duty or shrinking in the critical hour of impending battle, was the special object of his wrath.1906, Henry E. Shepherd, Life of Robert Edward Lee, New York: Neale, Part 3, p. 62

verbTo stay where one cannot be seen, conceal oneself (often in a cowardly way or with the intent of doing harm).

  • Dumb-bells appeared in the schoolroom bookcases, while half worn-out gym shoes skulked in the corners.1928, Radclyffe Hall, chapter 6, in The Well of Loneliness, London: Jonathan Cape, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: Covici Friede...

verbTo move in a stealthy or furtive way; to come or go while trying to avoid detection.

  • They just unhook themselves, like removing a fake beard, and skulk discreetly back into society, changed men.2000, Zadie Smith, White Teeth, London: Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 16

verbTo avoid an obligation or responsibility.

  • They are paid about three shillings a day for ten hours’ work—it is hard work, especially in windy weather, and there is no skulking, for an inspector comes round frequently to see that the men are on their beats.1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXXIII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz...

More sentences with skulk

  • But we did catch Turosh skulking around the Shiso last darkfall.2014, Margaret Taylor, To Free The Dragon's Soul. From the entry darkfall
  • Maria was forever to begive her begivings to the loathsome imposter who’s waddling skulk had haunted her.2010, Chris Worth, Captain Jeans and the Quest for Keith, storywrite.com. From the entry begiving
  • When I first joined, I skulked for the first few days.2006 Christmas, Jamie G, “Letters”, in Jamie Sefton, editor, PC Zone, number 175, London: Future Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11, column 4. From the entry noobishness
  • He skulked, like his creps was made out of lead.2011, Chyna Chyna, FAM: Rolling in a London Girl Gang. From the entry crep
  • Yet here among this vast polished cast, the game of mea culpa, tua culpa was played out with far more skulk.2008, Marlena de Blasi, “Part II: Tosca’s Story”, in That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, chapter…. From the entry tua culpa
  • Like a reluctant celebrity, the Pallas’s “gropper” (twitchers have their own language, as well as paparazzi-style ripping yarns about this trip or that shot) was skulking in the bushes.2017 September 25, Patrick Barkham, “Twitchers and groppers: when birdwatching turns ugly”, in The Guardian. From the entry gropper
  • Only a few of the men and women who skulk and skuldugger their way through the pages of his bestseller are not certified members of the power elite.1996 May 1, Jonathan Kirsch, “Not the Usual Suspects You Find in Murder Mysteries”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles…. From the entry skuldugger

Meaning of skulk

  1. noun A group of foxes.
  2. noun A group of people seen as being fox-like (e.g. cunning, dishonest, or having nefarious plans).
  3. noun The act of moving in a stealthy or furtive way.

Full definition of skulk

Questions about skulk in a sentence

How do you use skulk in a sentence?
Skulk is used as a noun and verb. For example: “A skulk of foxes, a cowardice of curs are tonight’s traffic whispering in the yards and lanes.”
What is a short sentence with skulk?
“A group of foxes is called a skulk.”
What does skulk mean?
Skulk means a group of foxes.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: skulk (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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