Meaning & use
skank
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Meanings
nouncountableoffensivevulgarslangdisapproving
An offensive slang insult for a person, especially a woman, regarded with contempt as sexually promiscuous or unpleasant.
Grammar: Used as a harsh label for a person; avoid it in respectful or professional speech.
Patterns
- call someone a skank
- use skank as an insult
- a vulgar skank
The term is a vulgar insult, so the dialogue should describe conflict without using skank.
In the movie, the character throws the slur skank and immediately loses the audience's sympathy.
verbintransitivemusicinformal
To dance to ska or reggae with loose, jerky, exaggerated movements.
Grammar: No object; it names a dance style and is often followed by to or about.
Patterns
- skank to ska
- skank at a show
- skank across the floor
Fans skank to the fast offbeat rhythm at ska concerts.
During the encore, the whole crowd began to skank near the stage.
Word forms
| plural | skanks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | skanks |
| past tense | skanked |
| past participle | skanked |
| -ing form | skanking |
Common combinations
- skank to ska
- The drummer watched the crowd skank to ska under the lights.
- skank at a gig
- We went to skank at a small reggae gig downtown.
- loose-limbed skank
- Her loose-limbed skank made the song feel even more energetic.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: skank or ska? skank or skunk?
skank vs ska
Ska is the music genre; skank is the energetic dance done to ska or reggae.
skank vs skunk
Skunk is an animal and a smell; the similar spelling does not share the meaning.
Practice
The word skank is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
It has two established uses: a vulgar insult and an informal music dance. It is not polite or formal, and it is unrelated to kitchen tools.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “skank”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.