Here's one for the word-puzzle lovers. Can you name three things that the word skulk has in common with all of these other words: booth, brink, cog, flit, kid, meek, scab, seem, and skull? If you noticed that all of the terms on that list have just one syllable, then you've got the first, and easiest, similarity, but the next two are likely to prove a little harder to guess. Do you give up? All of the words listed above are of Scandinavian origin and all were first recorded in English in the 13th century. As for skulk specifically, its closest known Scandinavian relative is the Norwegian dialect word skulka, which means "to lie in wait" or "to lurk."
lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.
suspicious men lurking in alleyways
skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.
something skulking in the shadows
slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.
slunk around the corner
sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.
sneaked out early
Example Sentences
Verb A man was skulking around outside. She skulked into her sister's room. Noun the animal control officers caught the stray cat that had been skulking behind some trash cans
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Of more than 3,500 mosquito species that skulk about the planet, fewer than 10 percent (and only the females, at that) enjoy nibbling on humans. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2022 Product managers would skulk around Los Angeles parks, where they were routinely questioned by police, with their handheld units to try and find satellites. Andrew Freeman, Outside Online, 21 May 2012 So, the best way to offer support and assistance is to let her skulk off and hide in a corner?Star Tribune, 2 June 2021 The broadcaster obliged, was affable and didn't skulk through the gauntlet. Guy Martin, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2021 Moreover, disirregardless of what Jamie Lee asserts, irregardless did not skulk into the dictionary just this year. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2020 Osama bin Laden skulked in caves and a nondescript house in Pakistan.The Economist, 21 May 2020 Harder to ignore are the creepy attentions of Lester (Clayton Hoff), who skulks around on the fringes of gatherings and leers at her through glasses with one lens mysteriously blackened. Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020 Someone skulked around Playland, the Cliff House and Sutro Baths. ... Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 17 Apr. 2020
Noun
Meantime, others in the household skulk around, muttering about plans regarding Lady Aghdas and her inheritance. Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 1 Dec. 2021 The park's tree-climbing lions often lie in wait on the branches of sycamores, while leopards skulk in the tall grasses. Gina Decaprio Vercesi, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2021 The household staple skulks in sinks amid dirty dishes and soggy food scraps, sopping up and amplifying microbial forces capable of invading clean food spaces. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 31 July 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect skulka to lie in wait, lurk