substance that smolders when ignited; used to light fuses (especially fireworks)
"The old sparkler fizzled out because someone had packed it too tightly with slow-burning punk, causing the fuse to sputter instead of glowing brightly."
a teenager or young adult who is a performer (or enthusiast) of punk rock and a member of the punk youth subculture
"At the underground venue, the local punk played an energetic set that had everyone in the crowd jumping up and down."
A person used for sex
"The hiker scraped some punk from the rotting log to get his campfire going in the damp forest."
Synonym of prostitute: a person paid for sex.
Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi.
In plain English: A punk is someone who follows a specific music style and fashion that started in the 1970s.
"The punk started his own band after leaving high school."
Usage: In everyday usage, "punk" refers to a person who behaves in an unprincipled or rebellious way, often associated with youth culture and counter-culture music scenes. Do not use this term when describing tinder or fire-starting material; instead, choose the specific word "tinder."
To pimp.
"The new manager was accused of punking his employees by making them work double shifts without extra pay."
In plain English: To punk someone means to trick or fool them into doing something they didn't want to do.
"The new punk rock band decided to play their first gig last night."
Usage: Use "punk" as a verb only in informal slang to mean pimping someone out or selling them off, often with a derogatory tone. Do not use it to describe being afraid or cowardly, as that is the primary meaning of the noun form.
Worthless, contemptible, particularly
"That punk of a neighbor left his trash in our driveway again despite my three polite reminders."
Bad, substandard.
"The restaurant's new manager tried to cut costs by serving punk coffee that tasted like burnt cardboard."
In plain English: Punk describes something that is rebellious, rough, and goes against normal rules or expectations.
"The punk rock band wore leather jackets and ripped jeans."
Usage: Use "punk" as an adjective to describe something or someone that is contemptible, worthless, or lacking in quality, often with a tone of dismissal. This usage typically appears in informal contexts when criticizing poor performance, weak character, or substandard work.
The word "punk" likely originated from a term for rotten wood dust used as tinder in English around 1678. Its meaning broadened over time to describe anything worthless before shifting to refer to undesirable people by the early 20th century.