Etymology 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).
My lord, she may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
[…] And made them fight, like mad or drunk, / For Dame Religion, as for punk...1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC:
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Flip [Lady Flippant]. I love, of my life men ſhould deal freely vvith me; there are ſo fevv men vvill deal freely with one— / Sir Sim[on Addlepot]. Are you not a Fireſhip? a Punk, Madam? / Flip. VVell, Sir, I love Raillery. / Sir Sim. Faith and troth I do not railly, I deal freely.1671 March (first performance), [William] Wycherley, Love in a Wood, or, St James’s Park. A Comedy, […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1672, →OCLC, Act II, page 22:
However, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie—did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman.1936, Anthony Bertram, Like the Phoenix:
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Obsolete A boy or younger man who engages in sexual intercourse by an older man as a (usually passive) homosexual partner.
The Beaus... At night make a Punk of him that's first drunk.1698, Womens Complaint to Venus:
US, Slang A boy who accompanies a hobo, especially as used for sex.
They'd pick up youngsters as, well—as their playthings. These kids were called punks.1973, Barry Broadfoot, Ten Lost Years, 1929-1939: Memories of Canadians who survived the Depression, page 137:
US, Slang A man forced or coerced into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison.
A punk, if you want it in plain English, is a boy with smooth skin who takes the place of a woman in a jailbird's love life.1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Don’t Cry, Ma”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 1 (1899–1923: A Nothin’ but a Child), page 15:
If he is small and weak, he may decide to become a ‘punk’ and allow himself to be raped by the inmate most likely to protect him.2001, Joseph T. Hallinan, Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation, page 106:
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Because he was so weak, Vinny soon became Tony's punk.
US, Derogatory, Slang A petty criminal, especially a juvenile delinquent.
He said the prisoner called them ‘punk’... He admitted that he shouted ‘punk’ to them.1908 October 18, New York Times, page 9:
There was nothing so special about the gang, punks are punks.1963, Thomas Pynchon, :w:V., page 145:
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I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?1971, Harry Julian Fink et al., Dirty Harry, spoken by Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood):
Do you think a little thing like a scratch would bother me? I'm no punk.1950, Hal Ellson, Tomboy, page 12:
Taking him home she hemmed him up soon as they stepped in the door. Now Tony was a bad dude in the streets but when it came to his mama, he was a punk. A few cuss words on her part had him spilling everything.2006, Kali James, Can U Get Away?, page 17:
Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of punk rock, a genre known for short, loud, energetic songs with electric guitars and strong drums and shocking or political lyrics.
Who else... would have the nerve to actually begin a song with the line ‘Whatchew gonna do, mama, now that the roast beef's gone...?’ Man, that is true punk; that is so fucked up it's got class up the ass.1972 November, L. Bangs, Creem, page 68:
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Fashion, Lifestyle The fashion style associated with punk rock, typically involving leather, metal studs and pins, distressed clothing and confrontational slogans.
Thus, punk girls combined elements of female dress (bodysuits, skirts) with punk accessories (bullet belt, emocore shirt) to create a distinctly female punk look that's "as girly" as they get.1999, Lauraine Leblanc, Pretty in Punk: Girls' Gender Resistance in a Boys' Subculture, Rutgers University Press, →ISBN, page 157:
Dame Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer and businesswoman. Largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new-wave fashions into the mainstream, she epitomises haute couture of the modern era.2014 July 15, Ann Brooks, Popular Culture: Global Intercultural Perspectives, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 61:
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A nonconformist social movement originally associated with punk rock and its fans, combining anarchism and radicalism, usually (but not necessarily) left-wing.
This emphasis on politics in the personal sphere might be a difference between punk now and punk fifteen years ago.2001 January 1, Andy Furlong, Irena Guidikova, Council of Europe. Directorate of Youth and Sport, Transitions of Youth Citizenship in Europe: Culture, Subculture and Identity, Council of Europe, →ISBN, page 72:
Despite this, Podemos's beginnings are still illuminating to understand punk's scope of influence adequately.2025 December 9, David Vila Diéguez, Spanish Punk: Screaming for Democracy in a Postdictatorial State, PM Press, →ISBN, page 191:
Some of these genres produce unique and intriguing subculture groups, usually referred to as types of "punks": cyberpunk, teslapunk, atompunk, biopunk, etc.2022 June 15, ENC1101 Editorial Board, Composition and Grammar: For HCC by HCC, Accomplishing Innovative Press, →ISBN:
Punk stories look at the current dominant socioeconomic paradigm and don't like what they see. They look at the newest gadget or algorithm and see how it can be misused and abused.2022 February 3, Rick Dakan, Ryan G. Van Cleave, Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 196:
› A follower of any of these movements, including:
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Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of punk rocker; a musician known for playing punk rock or a fan of the genre.
My girlfriend is a punk and she plays the drums.
But I still felt a fraud. I was like all those people who suddenly shaved their heads and said they'd always been punks, they'd been punks before punk was even thought of […]1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 22:
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A person who designs or dresses in punk fashion style.
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A member of the punk social movement; usually anarchist and socially non-conformist although potentially either left-wing or right-wing.
In the daily praxis of punk, vegetarianism and veganism are strategies through which many punks combat corporate capitalism, patriarchy, and environmental collapse.2013, Carole Counihan, Penny Van Esterik, Food and Culture: A Reader, Routledge, →ISBN, page 236:
Etymology 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).
Babbitt boomed on: "Pretty punk service the Company giving us on these car-lines. Nonsense to only run the Portland Road cars once every seven minutes. Fellow gets mighty cold on a winter morning, waiting on a street corner with the wind nipping at his ankles."1922, Sinclair Lewis, “3”, in Babbitt, page 30:
... Donald Trump is also a coward. For all of his tough talk and bluster, the president of the United States is a punk ass bitch.2018, Damon Jones, “Just Remember That Your Punk-Ass President Would Never, Ever, Ever Call LeBron James Dumb to His Face”, in The Root, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2018:
With the subtleties of dressing ran other complex worries. "I feel kind of punk this morning," he said. "I think I had too much dinner last evening. You oughtn't to serve those heavy banana fritters."1922, Sinclair Lewis, “1”, in Babbitt, page 10:
Of or concerning punk rock or its associated subculture.
You look very punk with your t-shirt, piercing, and chains.
BrewDog, the craft beer company that prides itself on a “punk” ethos, has been accused of acting like “just another multinational corporate machine” after forcing a family-run pub to change its name or face legal action.2017 March 26, Rob Davies, “BrewDog accused of hypocrisy after forcing pub to change name”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
punk
verb
Etymology 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).
Slang To forcibly perform anal sex upon (an unwilling partner).
Ricky punked his new cell-mates.
"Hell, Haggerty, with that caved-in chest you got, and with your guts pickled in alcohol, and a leg and a half in the grave, the Navy wouldn't even take you for punkin', Barney sourly said.1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 19, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan:
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If you start to stare at men's asses, to try & punk them in their moments with God; you are an enemy of God! Anyone looking upon a man as though a woman is in danger of judgement! -<><2022 April 30, @GisUsIsReal, Twitter:
“We were laughing because it was like, ‘Do you think we’re being punked?’” said Leigh Wade, an OB-GYN who was there with her husband, Richard Iuorio, an emergency room doctor who’d waited for a reservation since February.2023 September 25, Becky Hughes, quoting Leigh Wade, “New York’s Hottest Steakhouse Was a Fake, Until Saturday Night”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
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Especially, With "out" To give up or concede; to act like a wimp.
Jimmy was going to help me with the prank, but he punked (out) at the last minute.
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Often, With "out" or "up" To adapt or embellish in the style of the punk movement.
Suzy, a pump young woman with sparkling brown eyes and punked hair tucked behind her ears, said blankly, "What?"1992, Dana Stabenow, A Cold Day for Murder, →ISBN, page 60:
Like the Apartments, the supports hadn't written many songs of their own. They ran on that old standby, “fun,” in the form of “punked up” versions of pop songs like “It's my Party,” alongside obscure new wave/punk covers such as Lene Lovich's “Cuckoo Clock.”2011, David Nichols, The Go-Betweens, →ISBN, page 60:
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Their raucous take on the beloved, iconic Israeli folk song allegedly drew the ire of the songwriter, Naomi Shemer, and inspired Yidcore to punk up Jewish culture in myriad ways over the course of the next decade.2016, Michael Croland, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk: Jews and Punk, →ISBN, page 59:
Etymology 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”)).
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Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi.
As the East-Indians use Moxa, so these burn with Punk, which is the inward Part of the Excrescence or Exuberance of an Oak.1707, John Clayton (botanist), Virginia in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London XLI, page 149
If they attack a house that is pretty well manned, they [Indians in Pennsylvania] creep behind some fence, or hedge, or tree, and shoot red-hot iron slugs, or punk, into the roof, and fire the house […]1756, John Bartram, edited by William Darlington, Memorials of John Bartram and Humphry Marshall, published 1849:
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On one occasion a venerable old Indian man, who, in order to light his pipe, was trying to catch a spark upon a piece of punk struck from his flint and steel; ...1899, H. B. Cushman, History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians, page 271:
The oil is mixed with bits of dry wood or punk and moulded into sticks about a cubit long and an inch in diameter by putting it into joints of small bamboo.1922, Harry Ignatius Marshall, The Karen People of Burma, page 61:
He made him a little smoldering pocket of punk to light the fuses and waited.2001, William W. Johnstone, War of the Mountain Man, page 116:
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A utensil for lighting wicks or fuses (such as those of fireworks) resembling stick incense.
On the end a coal of fire slowly smouldered. It would last for hours, and my cell-mate called it a "punk."1907, Jack London, The Road:
Then, without another word, he rose and left the shelter, apparently in order to light the vessel's wick with a punk from the dying campfire.1994, Ashland Price, Viking Tempest, page 353:
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He raised the cylinder high in the air with his bare hand, used a punk to light the fuse, and KABOOM!2004, Shawn Shiflett, Hidden Place, page 221: