How do you use the word "skunk" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "skunk": I almost stepped on a skunk last night. We call him "Skunk Man".

Skunk Meaning

/skʌŋk/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounAny of various small mammals, of most genera of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black with a white coat and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.

nounAny of various small mammals, of most genera of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.

Sentence Examples

I almost stepped on a skunk last night.

We call him "Skunk Man".

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

pot rat smoke

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The black-and-white creature sprayed a foul odor to defend itself, revealing it was a ____.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

Be careful not to startle a ____, or it might spray you with a very foul-smelling liquid.

Word Origin & History

Etymology tree Proto-Algonquian *šek- Proto-Algonquian *-a·kw- Proto-Algonquian *-a Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa Eastern Algonquianbor. English skunk Borrowed from an unattested Southern New England Eastern Algonquian word cognate with Abenaki segôgw (literally “he who squirts (musk) / urinates”), from Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from *šek- (“to urinate”). Doublet of Chicago.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"The beaſts of offence be Squunckes, Ferrets, Foxes, vvhoſe impudence ſometimes drives them to the good vvives Hen rooſt, to fill their Paunch: ſome of theſe be blacke; their furre is of much eſteeme." — 1634, William Wood, “Of the Beasts that Live on the Land”, in New Englands Prospect. A True, Lively, and Experimentall Description of that Part of America, Commonly Called New England; […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Bellamie, […], →OCLC, 1st part, pages 22–23:

"In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely." — 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 152:

"On the other hand, many critics contend that in terms of literary quality, many of the multiple-storyline books are true skunks." — 1987, English Journal, volume 76, numbers 5-8, page 52:

"In the early 1980s, certain ex-punks joined them, becoming 'skunks' – a hybrid subculture of skinheads and punks." — 2006, Pam Nilan, Carles Feixa, Global Youth?: Hybrid Identities, Plural Worlds, page 192:

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